DUBOIS – A Penfield woman has been charged by state police with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children for allegedly not caring properly for her three-year old autistic child.
Christal Ann Cole, 32, 37 Pondersoa Dr., Penfield, was charged after an incident Jan. 29 at 6:15 p.m. when a woman allegedly found the child clothed only in pajamas, shivering on her front porch. The victim had no jacket or shoes. The woman reported that the child who was getting into her garbage bags said “help” to her.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, this witness did not know the child or her mother, but she believed the victim belonged next door. She said when she took the victim to the residence the front door of the trailer was open.
The woman yelled but she did not get a response. After she stepped into the home and said “hello,’ Cole came out of the rear bedroom and appeared to have been awakened. She told the woman she was sleeping when the victim wandered out the front door.
After the witness left the residence, she could hear Cole allegedly screaming at the child. The witness stated that this is not the first time the victim was outside without supervision. Once last summer, this witness found the girl under her porch and other times she saw the victim wandering around without supervision, she told police.
Another resident of the witness’ home told police that he was home all afternoon. At 3:30 p.m., he heard a knock on the door and their dog started barking. But when he opened the door he didn’t see anyone around. He stated that this could have been the victim. He added that he has seen the child outside alone all the time.
When Cole was interviewed by police, she said she and her mother were sleeping at the time of the incident. They both went to the rear bedroom around 4 p.m. The victim was also taking a nap on a circular bed in the living room where she prefers to sleep. Cole explained the child had a bed in her room, but she doesn’t like to sleep in it. She said she had already spoken to the landlord about getting a different lock on the door that the child couldn’t reach.
Police were called back to the Cole residence March 19 for a reported disturbance. Neighbors said they could hear yelling inside the trailer. Several of them had knocked on the doors and windows without a response.
When police arrived, they heard the three-year-old yelling and being defiant. After the officer knocked on both doors and several windows announcing himself, Cole finally came to the door. She was very lethargic, slow and appeared intoxicated, he reported. There was an overwhelming odor of mint mouthwash coming from her. She admitted to being under the influence of alcohol but claimed she only had one drink.
Cole’s mother explained she was trying to give the child a bath and said she would watch over the child because Cole seemed incapable of doing it. Cole told the officer they had installed an alarm on the top of the front door to alert them if the child wandered off.
An officer spoke with a caseworker from Children, Youth and Family Services about this case March 30. The caseworker said her investigation revealed that the child had not been receiving proper medical care. Cole claimed she did not have transportation to a doctor but when the worker offered to provide transportation, Cole didn’t call her back with an appointment date and time.
Cole’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for centralized court on April 29.