The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
According to Child Protective Services, a 1-month-old boy was placed with relatives after his teenage mother was arrested in San Antonio after she was accused of leaving him with a woman she had just met at a bus stop.
The baby’s mother was charged with abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return, according to Bexar County Court records, and a judge set her bail at $7,000.
Police said the incident happened late in the morning on September 13, after the mother approached the woman at a downtown bus stop and asked if she could borrow her phone to make a call. The woman commented that the baby was beautiful, and the mother reportedly handed over her infant son.
The mother also reportedly gave the woman the baby’s birth certificate, Medicaid information and Social Security card. According to the police, she said she no longer wanted the child and was planning to give him away.
The woman decided to try to ask someone she knew for assistance, and the two women went to the friend’s home. The mother then allegedly left in an Uber without her son, leaving the woman and her friend to deal with the situation.
When the mother later returned to the area, the police arrested her for reportedly intentionally leaving the baby behind.
Texas has a Safe Haven Law that allows a parent to anonymously surrender an unharmed infant at certain locations without legal repercussions. The law, also known as the Baby Moses Law, applies to babies who are 60 days old or younger. Designated locations include hospitals, fire stations and EMS stations, where the infant can be left in a special baby box or handed to an employee.
In this case, the legal issues arose because the baby was reportedly left with a stranger rather than surrendered at one of those designated locations.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a child endangerment offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.