A New York woman is facing a child endangerment charge after police say she failed to properly watch her infant daughter, resulting in the baby crawling alone along a busy road in Utica on Friday.
FOX reports that Ledrika Ford, 27, was officially charged with endangering the welfare of a child after a concerned citizen spotted her 9-month-old baby crawling in the middle of Bleecker Street on Friday night. Another witness pulled over and captured the incident on video. He later posted the video on Facebook, which quickly garnered more than 50,000 views.
Ford, who later appeared on the Facebook video and claimed the infant, said that her baby was strapped securely in the backseat of a car. The suspect said she had no idea how the baby escaped from the vehicle. Ford also said she was with a relative and turned away from the baby for only a short period of time.
This video both breaks my heart and makes me irate. Over the weekend, a 9-month old baby was found crawling on a busy street in upstate New York. If you listen to the video, the fearful cries from this little boy absolutely rip out your heart. The boy's mother, 27-year old Ledrika Ford has been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor. She claims, last she checked, the baby was strapped into his car seat. There were three other kids in her care, ages 1, 2 and 5. They've all been removed by social services.
Posted by Kristen Nicole on Monday, March 12, 2018
Tito Torres, a neighbor who lives a few houses away from the suspect told the station that he found it hard to believe that a 9-month-old baby would be able to get out of car and crawl away alone.
“I don’t know about that. I mean somebody had to open the door to take the baby out and put her on the street, right?”
Police aren’t releasing many details, as the investigation into the matter continues. However, there was enough evidence found to charge Ford with child endangerment, who cried and reiterated she had her baby securely fastened and inside her car.
Further, the infant and three other children were removed from the suspect’s home and taken into the custody of social services. She’s expected in court on March 23.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Screenshot/Facebook]
