Pennsylvania authorities have arrested a mother for allegedly abusing her son during a shopping trip to the local Walmart.
Samantha Fletcher is accused of violently “slamming” the boy into a shopping cart on Saturday, March 14, knocking the crying child unconscious.
Fletcher, 28, is currently facing single counts of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person, and simple assault in connection with the alleged abuse.
Several shoppers at the Tullytown store witnessed the alleged crime and called 911, police said.
Officers dispatched to the store spoke with a witness who claimed she saw a woman acting aggressively while shopping with her kids.
“He observed a female appearing to be under the influence, screaming profanities at two small children and dragging the one child around the floor by a backpack leash while he was crying hysterically,” reads a police statement on the arrest. “The witness stated the female picked up the child and dropped him into a shopping cart, causing him to hit his head. At some point the child lost consciousness.”
One witness said Fletcher was dragging one of the children across the store’s floor by a backpack leash. She had approached Fletcher to see if the mom could use any help.
Another claimed the boy had been rammed into the cart at least five times. The boy hit his head against a metal part of the shopping cart, the witness claimed.
Shoppers pointed Fletcher out to police, and they approached her. As they did, they said they could see her “holding the unconscious child in her arms.”
Emergency medical personnel assessed the situation and when they could not wake him up, determined the boy required “immediate medical attention.”
Because he had a visible bruise on his forehead, a CT scan was ordered, and revealed the boy had a concussion from being slammed into the cart.
Investigators eventually learned that Fletcher was responsible for the injuries the child has sustained, and she was handcuffed.
She’s being held on a $10,000 bond. Her children were released to the custody of their father.
Fletcher is currently scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment on April 24, records show.
If you suspect child abuse, please call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit ChildHelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
