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Free Range Kids

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Grandmother Allegedly Left Kids in Car to Go Black Friday Shopping at Walmart

Police say a Scott Township woman left her two young grandchildren in the car to go Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving night.

Scott Township police say a grandmother left her two young grandchildren in the car to go Black Friday shopping in Walmart. Bridget Bruce, 55, of Scott, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children after police said she went shopping at Walmart and left the grandchildren ages 5 and 7, in the car around 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving night. Scott police Chief Jim Secreet said he and four other police officers were patrolling the parking lot when he saw the two “well dressed” children walking toward the store without an adult. “It caught my eye right away,” Secreet said. “They were too young.” The kids got the attention of a Walmart greeter and asked for help finding their grandmother. Secreet said he walked over and spoke to …

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Patti

2:11 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

If that was my mother or mother-in-law, I can GUARANTEE that they would never be watching my kids again!!   more ›

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Charges Dropped Against Dad Who Left Kids at Scott Park to Shower

Scott police decided to withdraw the child endangerment charges after he agreed to take several weeks of parenting classes.

Authorities have dropped child endangerment charges against the Scott Township father who left his kids at Scott Park while he showered at a local gym. Scott Township police and the Allegheny County district attorney’s office decided to withdraw the two counts against 38-year-old Govindaraj Narayanasamy after he agreed to take several weeks of parenting classes. Scott police Chief Jim Secreet said the preliminary hearing was postponed three times while Narayanasamy took the courses. The charges were eventually dropped before his Aug. 9 preliminary hearings before District Judge Gary Zyra after Narayanasamy completed the class. “It’s not something where you want him to go to jail,” Secreet said. “But you just want to get them on the right …

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ella

7:26 am on Friday, August 24, 2012

Ah, thanks for the info, Mike. I am from Scott Township but I guess I had assumed the family lived on Lindsay Road or somewhere close to the park. If those children were expected to walk for miles along Greentree Road to get home in an emergency, then that is really unacceptable.   more ›

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Police Defend Charges Against Dad Who Left Kids Alone at Scott Park

The child endangerment charges created a firestorm on the Chartiers Valley Patch message board after a group called Free Range Kids linked to the story.

Scott Township police are defending their decision to charge the father who left his two young children at Scott Park without supervision for nearly two hours while shopping and showering. Govindaraj Narayanasamy, 38, of Scott, was charged with two counts of child endangerment after township police said he left the 6-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy alone in the park for nearly two hours Saturday. Police say he went to Walmart to buy snacks and later drove to LA Fitness to shower. The child endangerment charges created a firestorm on the Chartiers Valley Patch message board after a group called Free Range Kids linked to the story and several members criticized the woman’s call to police and the officer’s decision to file charges. Scott …

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Mike Jones

9:55 am on Thursday, August 16, 2012

Amanda and Guest... I appreciate you guys coming back to this story. I know the comments thread can get long and confusing, so feel free to move the conversation over to the updated story about police dropping the charges against the father... http://chartiersvalley.patch.com/articles/charges-dropped-against-dad-who-left-kids-at-scott-park-to-shower   more ›

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