Mom charged, accused of abandoning children near police stations

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte mother accused of abandoning her two children at different police stations is due in court next month.

Detectives charged the mother, Nazarene Porter, on Friday with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse/neglect.

Officers told Channel 9 that on Thursday, both children -- a girl approximately 2 years old and a boy approximately 4 months old -- were found alone near two police stations.

Police said they responded to a call early Thursday morning of a baby crying outside in the 2500 block of West Boulevard and found the boy in a car seat, abandoned near CMPD's Westover Division office.

Later Thursday night at about 9:30 p.m., video surveillance showed a woman leaving a child in rain at a bus stop in the 600 block of East Trade Street in uptown, near CMPD headquarters.

Someone just released from the jail was walking by at 9:45 p.m. and found the child who was taken to the police department.

In that 15-minute span, the video showed the child wandering around and into the roadway as cars passed by, police said.

The children were taken to Carolinas Medical Center as a precaution, where they were evaluated and were in good health, police said.

Sources told reporter Mark Becker that the children's father and grandmother were at the police department Friday speaking with detectives. They were searching for the children's mother earlier and sources said it is a criminal investigation.

“It's very rare, fortunately in most situations we are contacted,” said Charles Bradley, the director of Youth and Family Services for Mecklenburg County’s Department of Social Services.

The Department of Social Services is helping with the children while police search for their guardians.

Bradley said he could not discuss the case specifically, but police have said the children were temporarily in DSS custody.

DSS director Peggy Eagan suggested it could have been a mother’s cry for help.

"At least when someone takes a child they're saying I can't care for them. Someone else needs to do that,” Eagan said Friday.

North Carolina’s “Safe Surrender” law

North Carolina's safe surrender law allows an overwhelmed parent to surrender a newborn (an infant up to seven days old) to a responsible adult safely and anonymously.

Safe surrender is anonymous and legal.

This law is meant to prevent newborns from being hurt or abandoned.

The official law "infant homicide prevention act"

• Click here for more information
• Click here for a contact form

Why is the safe surrender law necessary?

The risk of homicide on the first day of life is 10 times greater than during any other time of life. The law provides parents in crisis who feel they have no other choice a way to surrender their unwanted baby safely and anonymously.

How to safely surrender your newborn

Make sure that the baby is healthy, warm and clean. Then, find a responsible adult who will assist you with the surrender of your newborn.

Your best options for a safe surrender contact include:

• A health care provider
• A law enforcement officer
• A social services worker
• An emergency medical personnel
• A trusted, responsible adult who understands the best interests of the child

Do not leave the baby somewhere and hope that someone will find it.

Many states have what are called safe haven laws. These designate places where a baby may be surrendered. North Carolina's law is different in that it designates people, not places. This is not abandoning a baby on a doorstep. The person-to-person interaction is the key.

If you choose safe surrender, you are not required by law to give any information. However, it would be helpful to your baby and the family who adopts him or her if you make some health and family history information available. A surrendering parent can provide information to the adult who accepts the baby or that information may be sent anonymously to the county department of social services.

Do fathers have the right to reclaim a surrendered newborn?

Any man who hears of a surrendered infant and believes it may be his should come forward. Before a child can be adopted in North Carolina, some effort must be made to find the father to request permission or allow the father to take the child.

If you or the newborn needs medical attention, get it right away.

Having a baby without any medical help can lead to serious complications for you or the baby. It is better to seek help than to risk serious health consequences.

If you have any of the following symptoms, seek medical care:

• Vaginal bleeding that doesn't slow down when you rest
• A bad smell to vaginal blood
• A fever of 101 or above
• Pain in the abdomen or vaginal area
• Severe headaches
• Blurred vision
• A feeling of burning when you urinate
  

Other available options (besides safe surrender)

There are agencies that can help you arrange for the adoption of your child to a safe and loving home.

You can also contact the local department of social services, a licensed adoption agency or your county health department.

If you are pregnant, Medicaid can provide comprehensive care from the beginning of pregnancy through the postpartum period. Infants born to Medicaid-eligible women continue to be eligible until their first birthday.

In an emergency call 911. For more information about the safe surrender law, please contact your local department of social services.

(From the North Carolina DHHS website)

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