Woman faces charge of neglect

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GREENFIELD — A local woman faces a neglect charge after the toddler she was caring for was found walking in the street alone near downtown Greenfield, according to court documents.

Alyssa Anderson, 20, 2963 U.S. 40 West, Greenfield, was watching the 1-year-old at a relative’s home in the city in late February. Anderson told police she fell asleep, and the child wandered out the home, according to court records.

A passer-by called 911 after finding the child standing in the middle of the intersection of North and Pratt streets, according to police reports. She was about a half block away from the home, police learned.

Anderson now faces a single Level 6 felony count of neglect of a dependent, records show. Investigators say Anderson had been trusted to care for the little girl but “failed to ensure her safety by keeping her inside the home,” court documents state.

Investigators noted in their reports that it was cold and raining when the girl was found. She was wearing a long-sleeved set of pajamas and slippers that were soaking wet, and her diaper was full, according to court documents.

The child’s grandmother left the girl with Anderson around 8 a.m. Feb. 28 as she was heading to work, according to court documents.

Anderson told police she lays down to sleep around that time; she said she thought the little girl had gone to sleep as well, court documents state.

The child was playing in the middle of the street when she was found, records state.

Police canvassed the area and found the front door of a home in the 100 block of Pratt Street standing open. They knocked several times and repeatedly called inside the home before Anderson came out of a downstairs bedroom to speak with them, according to court documents.

The woman immediately admitted she was supposed to be caring for the little girl and asked where she had been found, records state.

Local fire department medics transported the child to Hancock Regional Hospital to be checked by doctors because she appeared to have a cough, according to court documents.

Doctors determined the little girl was fine; they fed her, changed her diaper and gave her dry clothing before releasing her to her grandmother, court documents state.

Anderson was arrested in early March on charges from an unrelated criminal case. While she was in jail, police served a warrant for the neglect case. She is being held in the Hancock County Jail on $2,000 cash bond — $1,000 in each case, records show.

This week, she’ll appear in court to ask a judge to reduce those amounts. The hearing will start at 3 p.m. Thursday in Hancock County Superior Court 1. All proceedings are open to the public.

Anderson is represented by Greenfield attorney Michelle Wade, who did not return a call for comment.