Chester twin boys, 3, found alone in truck; Mother charged with neglect, police say
A Chester mother has been charged with child neglect after her twin sons were found unsupervised in a vehicle, police said.
Ashley Barns, 26, was arrested Tuesday, said Eric Williams, Chester Police Department chief.
The children, age 3, were found in a truck Monday afternoon on College Street in Chester, Williams said. There was no parent or guardian nearby, Williams said.
Chester police did not know the identities of the children at that time and posted a message on the department’s Facebook page asking for help identifying the children and locating a parent, Williams said.
Officers were able to find Barns, the custodial parent, on Hinton Street in Chester, Williams said.
Detectives then investigated the circumstances and charged Barns with neglect, said Cpl. Yolanda Funn of the police department’s investigative division. The children were not hurt, Funn said.
“After an investigation and speaking with the custodial parent, she was charged in this case,” Funn said Wednesday.
A felony child neglect conviction in South Carolina carries a potential sentence of 10 years in prison for each charge.
Barns remains in the Chester County jail without bail, records show.
