Couple charged with neglect over wandering toddler
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 10, 2005
A Suffolk couple whose toddler was found wandering around the Lakeview community last week has been charged with felony child neglect.
Police filed the charges against Margaret Sisco, 34, and Eric Sisco, 35, both of the 200 block of South Broad Street, late Friday, said Lt. Debbie George, spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police Department.
Police found the couple’s 2-year-old boy wandering around the 600 block of Maryland Avenue on May 1, George said. The child was not injured.
After canvassing the neighborhood, police located the parents at their residence, George said. They were unaware the child was missing.
Police investigation revealed the Sisco’s have been involved in &uot;several incidents involving lack of supervision&uot; in the past, George said. Most cases were not reported to police.
The child was not removed from the parent’s home, a decision made the child protective services unit of the Suffolk Department of Social Services, George said.
The parents were not charged until after CPS alerted police to the other reported incidents, George said.
&uot;It is not the intention of the department to charge every parent with neglect whose child may get out of their sight,&uot; said George. &uot;But if a pattern is identified and the safety of the child is in question, then it is our responsibility to act.
&uot;That is what was done in this case.&uot;
Margaret Sisco declined comment, saying she and her husband have been advised not to disclose additional information.
A court date was not available.