Police charge father of wandering toddler
Gwinnett police have arrested the father of a little girl found wandering alone Wednesday afternoon inside a Tucker apartment complex.
James Brooks, who lives at the Carrington Chase apartments on South Norcross Road, was charged with 2nd degree cruelty to children, police spokesman Jake Smith said. The little girl, believed to be between 18 and 24 months, was found by a resident of the complex around 2:15 p.m.
Three hours later, police located the father, who had not reported the girl missing.
"[Officers] were canvassing the apartment and knocked on his door," Smith said. Brooks was supposed to be watching his daughter while his wife, the girl's mother, was at work.
Police did not release details on how the little girl got outside the apartment.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
