Mom arrested after police find 3-year-old child in street | Crime

Jonesboro police arrested Sharon Rack,30, after they say they found her three-year-old son playing in the middle of Meadowbrook Street.

Just before 8 p.m. Monday someone reported a child wandering the streets alone, according to the police report.

When police took the child home they reportedly found two girls, ages 10 and 9, asleep.  The girls told officers their mother had gone to the store.  They reportedly didn’t know how long she had been gone.

Police said they were unable to contact Rack when they tried to call her cell phone.  After waiting 40 minutes for her to return home, they reportedly called the Department of Human Services.

At 8:50 p.m. officers say Rack called and told police she was at the Family Dollar Store on Johnson buying baby wipes.  According to the officer’s report, he “could hardly understand her due to loud music in the background.”

When Rack arrived at the home 15 minutes later she was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, second degree.

She’s being held at the Craighead County Detention Center on a $1,560 surety bond.  She’s scheduled to appear in court on June 6.

In an unrelated case, Jonesboro police arrested Carl E. Vanpelt, 22, on the same charges.

According to investigators, an apartment manager called police after noticing that Vanpelt had left three young children home alone for several hours.

Police say an 8-year-old child told them Vanpelt had “left her to watch over” a four-year-old child and a six-month-old baby.  She reportedly told police Vanpelt had been gone “at least a couple hours.”

About an hour after police arrived, they say Vanpelt appeared at the home.  When questioned by officers, he reportedly said he “did not realize he was gone that long and he was trying to go find food.”

The children were turned over to the children’s mother.

Police arrested Vanpelt and charged him with child endangerment, second degree.  He is being held at the Craighead County Detention Center in lieu of $520 surety bond.

Photos provided by Craighead County Sheriff's Office.