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Police arrest mother for leaving child in Irmo Community Park for hours

Police said the suspect "appeared to not understand the danger she placed the child in."

IRMO, S.C. — A woman is facing a felony charge after authorities say she left a child under the age of 10 at an Irmo park for hours without any means of contacting her.

The Irmo Police Department said they were notified about the incident when a concerned resident called officers around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday. The caller said they were at the Irmo Community Park on Eastview Drive with a grandchild around 6 p.m. The caller said there was a child unsupervised at the park. After about an hour, the caller said they spoke to the child, who said their mother had left them at the park. The child added that they didn't know how to contact the parent and didn't have a cell phone.

That's when the concerned resident called the police. Arriving officers said the child described the mother's vehicle and provided her name. Police said the child was visibly scared and told police they were tired and thirsty. Police provided food and something to drink as the investigation continued.

Around 8:20 p.m., Irmo Police said they saw a vehicle matching the child's description, but it didn't stop. Police pulled the vehicle over and identified the driver as 55-year-old Frankie Campbell-Provo, who admitted she was the child's legal guardian and left them at the park without a phone or means of communication.

Police said Campbell-Provo "appeared to not understand the danger she placed the child in" and was arrested on a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child - a felony offense that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Police took Campbell-Provo to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and released the child to a family member.

Police Chief Bobby Dale expressed disappointment in the child's situation and gratitude to the person who called the police.

"They saw something, and most importantly, they said something," he said.

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