Family lives in gated apartment complex.
Apartment complex has playground one hundred twenty feet away from Family’s apartment.
Mother allows four year old Son to play in playground alone while Mother remains in Family’s apartment.
Mother is an adherent of free range parenting.
Neighbor spots Son playing alone, unsupervised.
Son is fine.
Neighbor calls police.
Police arrive on scene and … arrest Mother … for felony child endangerment and child neglect.
The charges have been reduced to misdemeanors but Mother still faces six month’s confinement.
Whatever the eventual outcome of the criminal matter, if a custody dispute were to erupt between Mother and Father, this would undoubtedly damage Mother’s position.
Read more in
- this People magazine article: California Mom Fighting Back After She Was Arrested for Letting 4-Year-Old Son Play 120 Feet from Home Within Gated Community and
- this Fox 40 TV article: Sacramento Mother Faces Child Endangerment Charges for Allowing 4-Year-Old Son to Play Outside Alone .
