Chattanooga police charge South Carolina couple with three counts of child abuse
Kristin Smith, 25, of Summerville South Carolina and Christopher Patterson, 30, also of South Carolina were arrested early Saturday morning.
According to the arrest affidavit, officers were dispatched to the Economy Inn on Brainerd Road to investigate a call about an unresponsive man in room 133.
A witness told police an unknown woman found two children; ages two and three wandering around in the parking lot. According to the witness, the woman nearly ran the toddlers over with her car. The witness also told police he knew the children belonged to a couple in room 133 and attempted to take them back to the room. But when he walked inside, he said the boyfriend of the children’s mother was unresponsive on the bed.
When officers entered room 133, they found a 5-month old child on the bed next to the unresponsive man who was identified as Christopher Patterson.
According to police, room 133 was in an extreme state of filth and considered unfit for small children to live in. Officers wrote in their report that all three children were in wet clothing and dirty diapers.
Police and EMS were eventually able to wake up Patterson whom they say appeared to be in a confused state of mind. He reportedly told them he drank a few glasses of wine before falling asleep.
Patterson also told police the children belonged to Kristin Smith who had left them in his care earlier that night.
Smith was later found in room 312.
According to police, she was heavily intoxicated. She tested positive for cocaine and marijuana during a voluntary drug test .
Smith and Patterson were immediately arrested.
Child Protective Services came and took the children and placed all three into protective custody.
A judge set Patterson’s bond at $60,000 and Smith’s bond at $75,000.
Both are due in court on July 30th.
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