A Pennsylvania woman with a prior conviction for involuntary manslaughter in the death of her infant son has been arrested after allegedly leaving a two-year-old boy in her care to wander the streets in freezing temperatures.
Arissa Ward, 32, was supposed to be watching the toddler on Tuesday when he was discovered in the middle of a road in Windsor, Pennsylvania, without shoes or socks, according to ABC 27. The temperature was just 37 degrees Fahrenheit when a passerby found the child on West Main Street at around 8 a.m. The boy was reportedly 'cold to the touch due to the temperature,' according to an affidavit obtained by Law & Crime.
State troopers searched the area for anyone who could identify the child. They also contacted Children and Youth Services, who advised them to check on Arissa Ward, a local resident with a prior conviction for involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. In 2017, Ward had suffocated her own two-month-old son while intoxicated.
When troopers approached Ward at her home, she reportedly greeted them by saying, 'I'm babysitting and I just woke up. What's going on?' Officers asked if she was missing a child. 'Yes, yes, but he is not mine. She dropped him off to me this morning,' Ward responded, referring to the child's mother, according to the affidavit.
Officers informed Ward that the toddler had been with police for two hours and asked for an explanation. 'My kids and I were asleep. I didn't know he opened up my door,' Ward allegedly responded. She explained that she was sleeping in her second-floor bedroom with her own two children and her dog when the boy's mother dropped him off at around 6:30 a.m., which the mother later confirmed.
The mother stated that the front door was unlocked, which was unusual. She entered the residence, took the boy upstairs to Ward's bedroom, and had to wake Ward up. Ward told the boy, 'Come here, mom has to go to work,' and the mother placed her son next to Ward in bed. Ward immediately fell back asleep and had to be awakened again by the mother, who then left. She did not close the bedroom door and was unsure if the baby gate was latched, but she pulled the front door shut.
Hours later, at 9:19 a.m., Ward sent the mother a good morning text. About half an hour later, the mother sent a frantic text asking where her son was and called Ward five times, each call going to voicemail. At around 10 a.m., police called the mother to say her child was in custody after being found outside.
Ward now faces felony charges of endangering the welfare of children and a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person. She was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Joel Toluba, who set unsecured bail at $10,000, which she posted.
This is not Ward's first encounter with the law. In 2018, she pleaded no contest to charges related to the death of her two-month-old son. She admitted to drinking with the boy's father, Arthur Livering, before returning home and smoking marijuana on December 30, 2016. Ward then laid on the couch with her baby and passed out, later telling police she thought she rolled onto him. An autopsy revealed the baby died from complications of traumatic asphyxia and smothering, and the infant had 0.65 nanograms of THC in his system.
Ward had been set to serve at least three months in prison, but the judge wanted to give her a chance to redeem herself and care for her surviving three-year-old daughter. 'I'm going to give you the opportunity to do a little bit of penance,' Judge William T. Tully told Ward, warning that she would face more prison time if she continued drug use. 'This will be a chance to prove yourself.'
Ward is due back in court on May 5.
