A single mom, who faces a year in prison after she let her 14-year-old daughter babysit her siblings, has received an influx of support.
A GoFundMe page set up to support Melissa Henderson in light of her trouble with law enforcement has raised $48,130 at the time of writing.
In May 2020, when the pandemic shut down her children’s daycare center, Henderson, a single mother of five, had her 14-year-old daughter Linley babysit her other children while she went to work, The Independent reports.
Trouble struck when Linley, participating in online learning, failed to notice that her four-year-old brother Thaddeus had managed to slip out of their home in Blairsville, Georgia, – when he saw a friend and went out to play with him.
In no more than 15 minutes, Linley noticed he was missing and eventually found him at his friend’s house down the street.
But in the time that he was missing, the friend’s mom had called authorities, and some two weeks later, Henderson was arrested and charged with criminal reckless conduct. If found guilty, Henderson faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of $1,000.
Per a Union County Sheriff incident report reviewed by The Independent, the arresting officer said Thaddeus could have been abducted, “got lost in woods or been bitten by a venomous snake”.
The GoFundMe says that the arrest and prosecution of Henderson was unwarranted, particularly as the Georgia DFCS Guidelines purportedly state:
“Children thirteen years and older, who are at an adequate level of maturity, may be left alone and may perform the role of babysitter, as authorized by the parent, for up to twelve hours.”
“Why then arrest Melissa, an arrest that included booking, fingerprints, mug shot, and being placed in a holding cell?” the GoFundMe questions. “Why then a year later bring the Accusation and require defense of the charges in the Superior Court?”
One signatory responded to the fundraiser, writing: “I am a single mother and I understand that sometimes we have to make the hardest decision either to work and support our families or don’t work and not pay the rent. It’s not much but I pray it helps.”
Another said: “As a single mother of 3 kids, I had to make tough decisions about child care at times. I’m sorry this happened to you. I hope the woman who called the police regrets that decision. She could have offered to help instead. Good luck to you.”
