Cleveland Mother Charged After Leaving Toddler in Car and Stealing Clothes
A 24-year-old Cleveland woman is facing multiple charges after leaving her toddler alone in a vehicle while she went shopping, according to a police report obtained by FOX 8 News.
On the afternoon of September 29, the woman, identified as Brendii L. Jones, left her 19-month-old son in an SUV at the Golden Gate Plaza shopping center along U.S. Route 322. While she was inside a store, the child activated the vehicle’s OnStar system. OnStar agents were alerted and made contact with the boy, but he was too young to speak.
Police were dispatched to the scene for a welfare check and found the toddler standing on the front seat of the vehicle. Fortunately, the child was unharmed. Shortly after, Jones came running from a nearby clothing store, explaining to officers that she had briefly gone inside to get a “cup” for the boy. She then took her son back into the store.
Further investigation revealed Jones had an outstanding felony warrant from Wickliffe police for fleeing and eluding. When she didn’t return to the car, officers went into the store and found her near the entrance. They noticed she had clothing with price tags attached stuffed into her waistband. Inside her purse, they found a round, silver magnet that she admitted to using to bypass the store’s security sensors.
Jones was arrested after calling a family member to pick up her child. Officers also discovered more than $400 worth of clothes from a nearby store inside her car, all with the tags still attached. A child’s jumpsuit, reported stolen, was not recovered.
Jones is now facing misdemeanor charges for child endangering, theft, and possessing criminal tools. She is scheduled to appear in Lyndhurst Municipal Court on November 5.
