JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A woman is in jail after her 3-year-old child was found wandering the streets of Flagler County alone with their dog, according to deputies.
Tessie Clark, 28, was placed under arrest for child neglect and was booked at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, on Tuesday at 1:13 p.m. a concerned citizen called for help after seeing an unsupervised toddler with a dog in the area of Belleaire Drive and Beechwood Lane in Palm Coast.
The concerned citizen stood with the child until deputies arrived.
The witness told deputies that the child was seen walking alone with the dog for approximately 30 minutes before law enforcement was called.
FCSO said the child’s guardian could not be located and there were no reports of a missing child. Deputies began canvassing the area by going door-to-door in an attempt to locate a guardian.
While searching the neighborhood, deputies say Clark was seen walking and told them that her 3-year-old son was missing. Clark reportedly told deputies that she was cleaning her home and let her child play in the backyard, as she always does, and didn’t notice that he was gone.
Deputies responded to her residence during the investigation and found that it smelled of freshly burnt marijuana and was extremely messy and dirty with old food on the floors and being in complete disarray.
FCSO says there was no indication of anything being cleaned in the home and the disarray appeared to be how the house was kept. Upon examining the backyard, deputies say the fence appeared very unstable as it was leaning in areas and had a panel missing.
Deputies say the backyard did not appear suitable for a 3-year-old due to having holes in the ground, loose concrete blocks, an adult trampoline and other debris and child hazards.
“We’re very thankful to the witnesses who came forward and called us when they saw this small child alone in the street,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Luckily the child did not wander onto Belle Terre Parkway or we could have had a much more tragic outcome."
The Department of Children and Families was contacted and responded to the residence immediately.
