Grandmother accused of child neglect

Brenda J. Fox. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.
Brenda J. Fox. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

A Columbus grandmother was arrested on child neglect charges after her grandchild was found wandering on The Commons playground covered in his own waste.

Columbus police were called to the indoor playground at about 4:40 p.m. Sunday afternoon after a two-year-old boy was found on the indoor playground covered in feces. Other parents cleaned the boy up and changed his diaper but could not find an adult responsible for him. The child was taken to police headquarters and Child Protective Services were contacted, says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department.

At about 5:30 p.m., 51-year-old Brenda J. Fox came to the police station and said she was the child’s grandmother. She claimed that she never saw police looking for the child’s guardian, Harris says.

She was arrested on a preliminary charge of child neglect and the boy was released to the custody of his parents.