Mom Kresta Warner Arrested for Child Abuse After Toddler Runs Off
In Robertson County, Tennessee, Kresta Warner, 30 was arrested for child abuse and neglect after a school bus driver found her naked two-year-old standing at a roadside.
Bus driver Jack Fisher saw the little guy and pulled the bus over. He asked the child where his mom was, and got him on the bus. However, the toddler didn’t understand the driver and could only say “mama.” The school children on the bus kept the boy occupied while Fisher called dispatch to get a deputy out there. Six minutes later authorities got the boy and took turned him over to the Department of Child Services (DCS).
Deputies then conducted a door-to-door search in the area, and showed a picture of the two-year-old to a 11-year-old boy who was playing outside a home. The boy told them that the toddler was his little brother. Deputies then found their mother out in a back field searching for her son.
For some reason, Warner didn’t call 911, just the boy’s father. I’m guessing that she thought the child was near the house and not a half-mile from home across property that had several ponds. Scary!
The DCS then took the big brother into custody and turned them both over into the care of their paternal grandparents. DCS is now working with the family, but a judge has ordered her to stay away from the child until her hearing on November 4. (Does this seem harsh? I think supervised visits would be better for the boy. After all he’s only two and probably misses his mama.)
Warner has no previous record and is out on $3,000 bail. I’m guessing that she’ll get a light sentence. Her family lived on a big several acre lot and she just assumed he was on their property, not naked, dirty and playing in the street. People make mistakes after all, and luckily this didn’t end tragically.
Funny thing is that this seems to be a common occurance in this part of the country. In the same county, another mom was arrested after her two-year old was found wandering in the middle of the road. Maybe it’s just a Tenessee toddler kind of thang.
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September 22nd, 2007 at 7:39 am
Very scary!! Good thing the bus driver wasn’t a freako child molester. She should get on her knees and thank God that this is all that happened. I’m sure she just made a mistake but I bet next time she’s more careful!
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:26 am
Well it could have been a tragic mistake, but I have a son not much older than this baby and I know that if I don’t keep my eyes on him all the time he’d be off five miles down the road too. It just takes a moment of inattention. Sounds like she just made an error in judgment. At least she was out looking for him, unlike some losers we’ve seen on the site who don’t even know the kid is missing when the police come knocking on the door.
Hopefully she’s learned her lesson.
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I think it sounds a bit harsh too. She was out looking for him, not drunk or drugged out in bed. I think mandatory parenting classes would be enough for this, not keeping her away from her child.
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I think they are being a little ridiculous. I have an autistic dd who got away from me once; she is four and if you don’t watch her every second she’ll be halfway to the next town like this kid was. I took the trash out one afternoon and she must have slipped out when I was taking out the trash. I realized about ten minutes later that she wasn’t upstairs playing with my other kids and I felt sick when I realized that she must have slipped out when I was taking out the garbage.
I called 911 immediately because there was no way, with three other children in the house and my dh not home from work yet, that I could safely go looking for her. We live on a military base and I knew she was probably at one of the parks. I was in tears at this point. We have a ravine behind our house and while it is fenced, I was scared to death that she had somehow gotten in it.
Well, while I was on the phone giving the base police a description of my dd and what she was wearing my neighbor came running from down the street and was waving to me and I knew that she had been found. Sure enough, she had gone straight to the park down the street, stripped her clothes off (autistic children often hate clothes; my dd hates hers and the minute she is out of your sight off the clothes go), and was having a grand time on the slide! When my neighbor came near her to try to lead her back to me, she actually shut the gate to the small park and would not go near my neighbor. For a nonverbal child, she is a pretty sharp little cookie! She did not come to the gate of the park until she saw me there.
I am surprised that this woman is being treated like this because I was never arrested. The base police came to my house and took a statement and got the name of my neighbor who found her and that was it. They DID want to know if she had gotten out before and I told them that she had not, that this was a first, and that they could even ask all our neighbors because our children never play unattended. And they left it at that.
Unless this boy had gotten out many times and had been brought back by the police, I really think that removing him and ordering her not to go near him is being a bit ridiculous. If they are concerned, why not send a CPS worker out to make sure nothing else is going on and leave it at that?
September 22nd, 2007 at 4:22 pm
The sad thing is the officials who took this boy away from his mom, who just made an honest mistake, are the same people who give children like Kelsey Briggs back to their really abusive mothers – and the kids wind up being horribly abused and killed. What’s wrong with this picture?
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Ihavekidstoo…
I was just coming back here to say the exact same thing! How can a kid with two broken legs (spiral fractures at that, that means someone had to violently TWIST her legs to break them) be given back to her mother and stepfather to eventually be killed, yet they yank a kid away over something that I guarantee you has happened to most parents at one point or another. I know I’m not the only parent to have ever had a child wander off; I’ve heard enough stories from friends and family about their own kids; if this is all it takes to get arrested for child abuse then probably 75% of parents I know plus myself should be sitting in jail right now for mistakes that we have made with our kids.
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:21 pm
This is way too harsh. I mean she probably isn’t MOM OF THE YEAR, but she’s not Hell Mom either. Who knows, he was probably getting ready for a bath and ran out. I did that as a toddler, after the ice cream man…And he might have been too scared to talk. I never talked to strangers.
I dont know the whole story so I can’t say for sure but I think this was just one accident that might have been blown up a little more than it needed to be. She was, after all, looking for him and didn’t think he was far or warrented a call for the police.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Could these people overreact any more? Don’t get me wrong, this baby is lucky not to be drowned or kidnapped, but this was an honest mistake. She might need patenting classes (even though the best of us sometimes lose track of our two year olds once in a while), but this is way over reaching with the immediate arrest and excessive fines. It’s realy insane not even allowing visitation. This poor woman is a victim of a system that has been soooooo messed up and finaly had attention called to it. Rather than fix the problems that led to so many deaths and abuses of children in their custody they are overzelously persecuteing honest mistakes. It’s crazy that she should pay so heavily because the child protection system is broken.
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:57 am
I commented on the Kelsy Briggs story about my own experiences with doctors, etc, overreacting to things with my children or people I have known. It seems when children services SHOULD be doing more in a case, they don’t, and overreacting on others. I’ve often wondered if it’s just the caseworkers themselves…they pick and choose (so to speak) through cases that come their way, the ones that require ALOT of work and followup on they just kind of shove to the side and don’t do much with, but the ones that appear to be easy they devour!
LOL the whole thing with the being naked….I was the same way as a child…when it came bathtime, my parents would get me undressed and as soon as their backs were turned, I was heading for the door out of the house. My parents numerous times had to chase me down the street…I’m running naked and free laughing with them close behind trying to catch me LOL. Of course I never got far, and they even went so far as to have to put locks up higher on the door (cause I had figured out the lower locks), my parents even have a picture of me running naked to the door to try to make my great escape LOL Gee, we can’t discipline our kids without being accused of abuse, and now we can’t laugh about the little things that makes us enjoy our children’s childhood. If the boy in this case hadn’t been found by anyone else, but was found by his mom, no issues would have been made I’m sure! Maybe there’s more to this story then we know about, but I doubt it, I’ve dealt with TN and their child services bull, I have personally been involved in a case in that state that should have had more investigated and nothing was done but a slap on the mother’s hand (the child was sexually molested at the mother’s house), the mother’s house was never inspected (although it was pushed to have done), the mother was never ordered to parenting classes, etc. Our entire system sucks in this country!
September 24th, 2007 at 4:53 am
I remember very clearly a little blonde boy I would see at LEAST once a every two weeks sitting on his front steps NAKED waving at the school bus I was in as it passed by. He was probably 2 or 3 years old. It was before 8 in the morning. I can only guess his mother or caregiver was probably still in bed or in the shower. As far as I know, they never did anything to that kids mother. I guess because he didn’t leave the yard? Anyway, I’m sure people would lose their minds over that these days.
I can’t help but to wonder if he has any children and if they do the same thing…
September 24th, 2007 at 8:14 am
As bad as this may seem….I’m sure it’s happened to a lot of us. This exact thing happened to me when my daughter was about 2…she is now 24. I got her out of the bathtub and went to get her clothes, it was spring and we had our windows open….she crawled out the window and ran down the street naked. I’m sure that I appeared to be a horrible mother to my neighbors and I thank God that nothing happened to her before someone found her and brought her back, but it was an honest mistake and I don’t think I should have been charged with child abuse, nor should this mother.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Well, we are all in agreement that this was way too harsh of a punishment for this mother. I too have a run away baby story to share. I think all of our kids have done it at one time or another. It’s a shame the baby made it 1/2 a mile up the road, but if Mom was looking in one direction and kiddo was headed in the other, she could have been looking for him the whole time.
I know from living in the country myself that doors are hardly ever locked and most older homes have no central A/C, so the screen door is the only thing keeping the kids in the house. But if you have no neighbors, then it’s not a terrible thing if the kids get outside once in a while.
September 24th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Yet another perk of not living in a large city. I live in LA. Trust me when I say that if this had of happened here – chances of seeing that child again would be slim. there are so many crazies here. I never lost my child here but I turned my back on him in HI. he ducked right in the bushes. It was a matter of 30 seconds and I had no idea where he went. Oh- the horror that went through my mind. Just living in LA makes you think the worst, no matter where you are…. That is why I say she was lucky that the bus driver was a GOOD person and not some sick freak. I agree that her punishment is severe but not as severe as the punishment of seeing your child at their funeral. She should just be thankful!
September 24th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Another to agree!! This is ridiculously harsh. I have a 2 year old, I also live in LA. but I live in a city so I don’t let my son play outside unless I’m with him, he cannot get out of the house because I have chain locks on all the doors, and I bought one of those leashes for when we are in a crowded place. I know, putting him on a leash sounds bad but I’d rather that than lose him. So I’ve been lucky I’ve never lost him, but seriously just about everyone has lost a two year old. THey are so quick and at moments you just stop thinking about how quickly something can happen, but she was obviously a concerned mother, but yet CPS takes her son away. What’s going on??? Why didn’t CPS take the little girl who was thought to have been on ecstasy?? I think there should be a little more concern for her safety. Some people think she wasn’t on it, but even if she wasn’t there was more signs leading to the fact that she is in harms way, but no they take a child who has a mother who obviously cares about her child well being away. Now people wonder why I have harsh feeling when it comes to CPS and any government agency, CASE IN POINT.
September 24th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Kerry – Where do you live in LA?? I am in Redondo Beach. A nice area but I still won’t let me 6 year old outside alone. I am reminded of my sister who lives in TX (small town). Her daughter got out of their back yard one day – naked in her Barbi Jeep and a neighbor that lived about 6 blocks away called my sister to let her know her naked 3 year old was out “cruising” with her “top” down. LOL My sister jumped in her car and ddrove down the street to pick my niece up. When she asked where she was headed, my neice told her “I want to take my Daddy out to lunch”. You see, in that little town – Everyone knew my sister and knew that child belonged to her. Had that of happened in LA she would have probably never seen that child again. My biggest fear is for one of the sickos that live in LA to snatch my son. Also – we are close enough to Mexico (2 hours or so away) that it would take no time at all for someone to hall ass across the border with a child. Call me paranoid but I would rather be over cautious than lose my child. Besides the fact that I love him to death, I’m not done paying for the little bugger (probably never will be)!!! ☺
September 24th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I live in Lafayette. Well I’ve always been a paranoid parent. When my son was a baby I would clean all of his toys in bleach water at least once a week cause I was so scarred of bacteria. Oh no, no, no. He doesn’t leave my sight. I get nervous to leave him with other people, not that they would harm him b/c I wouldn’t leave my child with someone who I thought could harm my child, but sometimes I just think that they won’t watch him like I will. For example, my sister has three boys. Anyone who has 3 boys would agree that it is very difficult to handle 3 boys. Anyway, my sister lives in an apartment complex and lets her kids play outside in the park area. Granted they range from the ages of 5-10, and the park is right outside of her apartment. I don’t like leaving my son there b/c I don’t want him outside like that and even if he’s told to stay in I’m scared my sister turns her back for one minute, cause she isn’t use to a 2 yr old being there anymore, and poof there he went. I can’t imagine what people think of to make them harm their own children. It’s a really messed up world we are living in.
September 24th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Okay – So we were on two different LA’s. I meant Los Angeles (CA). Ha-ha! Anyhow – It sounds like we share our fears. I will let my son play in the driveway with the neighbor boys but one of them is 10 and he knows that they are not to leave the driveway. I can see them from my livingroom window. He is not allowed out of my sight other than school, sleep and his private time in the bathroom. Yes – he likes to read on the toilet. LOL my life would cease if anything ever happened to him. he is my entire life and I wouldn’t have any purpose without him. I know that sounds desperate but I’m sure you can relate.
October 14th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Wow, what a gal! She should’ve called 9-1-1, but decided to call her husband instead! As for the baby, I feel bad for him, but at least he’s still alive, thanks to the busdriver and the bus full of kids! I hope this kid is OK.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:06 am
I’m sorry but there is no way my 2 year old child is getting that far away from me under any circumstances (never mind that he was naked as well) I don’t know why people are so quick to let her off so easily for what sounds like neglect at least. Do I think she should have been allowed supervised visits, I don’t see any harm in that. But I do think some are making too light of it. At the very least I think she should have some support from family services to help her with her parenting skills.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:12 am
I think what people seem to be missing is that she knowingly let her 2 year old child play in the front yard unattended while she homeschooled her other child. That IS neglect, whether intentional or out of ignorance the consequences can be as devastating. She looked for hours (according to the news clip) in the woods for him and never called 911. There are ponds in the area, how much more evidence do you need that this Mom acted recklessly?
March 20th, 2008 at 5:18 am
Judge not lest ye be judged… First off, I could barely manage to keep my 2-year-olds in clothes once they had the hang of zippers, buttons and velcro so the nudity thing is completely moot. Second, if I’d misplaced my 2-year-old and was searching, I might not have the presence of mind to think that running back home to call 911 would make more sense than continuing to search by myself. I’d actually be wondering why the father hadn’t come home to help or call the police himself. Prosecution in this case is just wrong.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:18 am
I myself have two toddlers, one who is 2 years old and another who is 3.5 years and the fact remains my son wouldn’t be left outside unattended, unsupervised cause I know enough to know he could (and probably would in his case!) take off or even be snatched. Close by does not equate supervised. I know things can happen to even the most watchful parent but I just happen to think it was reckless behaviour.