Deputies with the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman on Friday and charged her with abandoning or endangering a child. The incident occurred when the woman allegedly left her child unattended.

According to a press release, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of County Road 6101(near Old Lufkin Road) around 11:17 a.m. on Friday, February 4 after receiving a 911 call about a young boy who'd been waving traffic down on the side of the road. The boy, 6, was dressed in a jacket and athletic shorts, without shoes, in temperatures below freezing, and a passing driver stopped to check on him because of the cold weather.

The driver called 911 after the boy told him he woke up and was unable to find his mother. A responding deputy provided the boy with a spare jacket from inside his cruiser to help him warm up. No other adult or caretaker was on the scene when deputies checked the home. Despite calling multiple phone numbers found in public records, deputies were unable to contact the mother. Child Protective Services was contacted.

The boy's mother, Kaneesha Quenise Watts, 31, arrived while deputies were investigating at the home. Watts told deputies she was working for a delivery service and had left home to complete three deliveries. She said she had not wanted to wake the boy up.

Contributed Photo/NCSO
Contributed Photo/NCSO
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Watts was arrested and charged with abandoning or endangering a child, which is a state jail felony punishable by between 180 days and two years of incarceration. The boy was released to a family member.

The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office commends the citizen who stopped on his way to work to check on the boy and stayed with him to keep him safe until authorities arrived on the scene.

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