Authorities in North Carolina say a woman who reportedly claimed she was overwhelmed with being a single mom has been accused of allegedly abandoning her two young children along a roadway and then speeding away.
According to ABC11, 38-year-old Jennifer Westfall of Fuquay-Varina has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse stemming from the October 2 incident. In a tearful interview with the television station, Westfall said she didn’t actually drop her children, who are nine and 19 months old, off on the side of the road. Instead, she claimed she left them near Reedy Creek Elementary where she saw a “lady take them by the hand.”
The News & Observer reported a resource officer was notified and brought them to the elementary school and a nearby middle school. Charging documents indicate Westfall posed a “substantial risk of physical injury” for the children, the newspaper reported.
Westfall reportedly told WTVD she has been unable to find a job to support her children, adding she is “so tired of doing this by myself.”
She also reportedly incorrectly believed leaving her children near the school was legal, WTVD reported. The children have been placed with a foster family, the station said.
Meanwhile, Westfall said in the television interview she isn’t hopeful of being reunited with her children. She is slated to return to court in December.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
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