Woman charged with endangering child, assault of officer

NEW MADRID, Mo. - On the afternoon of May 24, officers responded to Hunter-Dawson Park for a report of suspicious behavior. A woman at the park with a young child was making statements to other people at the park that made them fear for the child’s safety, so they called the police to be sure the child was not in danger.

When officers arrived and began speaking to the woman, who was acting erratically and giving several explanations of why they were at the park. She said she was traveling from Bonne Terre to Memphis, Tenn., and had been on the road for several days. It appeared that she and the child were living out of her vehicle and the child had not attended school in some time.

One of the officers called the Missouri Children’s Division to come to the scene in an attempt to get services for the woman and child.

During the conversation, the woman became belligerent and got in her car in an attempt to leave with the child. As officers were trying to pull her from the car, the woman pulled away, injuring an officer’s arm.

She stopped a short time later and was taken into custody for assaulting a police officer. The child was also taken into custody and turned over to the Missouri Children’s Division.

The woman was later charged with endangering the welfare of a child, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.