Rock Hill mom told police child, 7, was ‘acting out’ so she left her for 45 minutes

A Rock Hill woman was arrested and charged Thursday evening with unlawful conduct towards a child after police say she left her child for 45 minutes to punish her for “acting out.”

According to a Rock Hill police report, Kecia Barham told an officer her 7-year-old child was “acting out of control” and wouldn’t listen, so she punished her by leaving her alone at their apartment complex for about 45 minutes.

Police responded to a call Thursday evening when a resident found the child standing alone by the mailboxes at an apartment complex on Patriot Parkway in Rock Hill.

The report states that the child told an officer that her mother left in a car and told her to stay at the mailboxes by herself.

When the mother arrived back at the apartment, the officer spoke with Barham, who said she left to take her other child to football practice.

According to the report, the officer placed Barham under arrest and called the Department of Social Services.

This is the third case this month in Rock Hill where a woman has been charged with leaving a child.

On Tuesday, police charged a mom who said she left her children in downtown Rock Hill while she went to have an affair in Charlotte, reports show.

On May 2, officers arrested a woman after she briefly left her 2-year-old child at a Rock Hill grocery store, reports show.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Rock Hill mom told police child, 7, was ‘acting out’ so she left her for 45 minutes."