Police in Shenandoah have charged the mother of a “severely autistic” teenager with two felonies after an incident in which the child reportedly ran away from home and caused a disturbance in public.
According to police, similar incidents have happened numerous times over the past three months.
On May 20, at about 11 a.m., police say they received a call regarding an autistic teen at the Redner’s Market in Shenandoah. The store manager there reportedly told police that the teen was in the store, touching merchandise and generally causing a disturbance.
This was the third time this month in which the child caused a disturbance inside the grocery store, the manager reportedly told police.
Police say they went to the residence of the teen’s mother, identified as Athena McNally, 30. When they arrived, the front door to the home was open and neighbors were saying that the teen ran away from home.
Eventually, after police had knocked several times, they entered the home and found the teen’s mother sleeping in a second-story bedroom with the door closed.
When McNally was awakened, police say she showed “immediate concern” for her child and wondered where he’d gone. Police took McNally to Redner’s and the child was calmed. She also paid for any merchandise affected by the incident, police say.
Four other similar incidents have been noted by police since April 8.
In those previous incidents, the teenager reportedly ran away from home and damaged a neighbor’s lawn, threw dirt on vehicles, destroyed a garden, and lit a flag on fire with a laser pointer.
McNally reportedly told police she had no excuses for not supervising the child.
“Despite these incidents occurring repeatedly within three months, McNally has not appeared to take action to prevent them,” police say, further endangering her child’s welfare.
McNally has been charged with endangering the welfare of children and neglect of a care-dependent person, both third-degree felonies.
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