Yes. It happened again.
On April 15, 2025, about 9:15 p.m., Alexandra Woodward, a divorced mom, left her quiet home in Calhoun, Georgia. Her two boys, ages 10 (4th grade) and 8, nearly 9 (3rd grade), are home with the family dog. She went to her storage unit expecting to be gone a few hours, yes, but the children are safe and, because she knows her children, she believed they were not at risk of any harm.
If you are concerned for their safety because "something could happen" then please visit Let Grow Crime Statistics and also read Child Safety Myths, as you might be more at ease about your children and about Alexandra's children.
5 Ways to Know If Your Kid Is Ready to Be Home Alone on iMom.com is also a great resource. In other words, each parent should decide because only the parents know their children.
The boys knew she was going to the storage unit; they asked her to bring back their baseball gear and some other items. Before she left, the 10-year-old asked to cook dinner, and he did. They were tucked into bed. The house features both indoor and outdoor video cameras. The boys were at ease with her leaving.
At midnight, immediately when exiting her vehicle in front of her home, no conversation - not a word, the police handcuffed her, put her in the back of a police vehicle, took her to jail where she was booked, had her mug shot taken, and waited for 2 days until her bond was set at $20,000. Why such a large bond? Because she was charged with First Degree Cruelty to Children. She faced a minimum of 5 years up to 20 years in prison. What happened to those boys?
Nothing. We watched the body cam videos. We read the incident report. There was ZERO harm to the boys. There was no risk of harm to them (statistically speaking, because there just are not break-ins as some fear). The police officers are heard confirming the children were fine.
First Degree Cruelty to Children:
A parent, guardian or other person supervising the welfare of or having immediate charge or custody of a child under the age of 18 commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person willfully deprives the child of necessary sustenance to the extent that the child's health or well-being is jeopardized.
Any person commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person maliciously causes a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain.
O.C.G.A. 16-5-70(a) and (b)(emphasis added).
The father learned they were alone, unharmed, but their mother was not home. The father called 911 (we listened to the audio file of this call) only asking for a "welfare check" and not suggesting the boys were hurt or would be hurt simply because they were home without an adult in the house. Why ask 911 for a welfare check when he knows they are unharmed?
Could it have been the modification action he filed a few days later to change the custodial parent and get out of child support? On April 22, 2025, the father had his attorney file a modification action, based SOLELY on this incident and arrest, to change custody of the children to him (which would result in no more child support to pay the mother).
Since that night, the children have been with their father. The mother now has only supervised visitation for 3 hours each Sunday, until the next court hearing July 24, 2025!
Three police vehicles and five police officers came to Alexandra's home. Likely, the most frightening event for the boys was having these big men geared out with weapons looming over them. There was never an attempt to obtain a search warrant to enter the house, although they walked in as if they owned it, nor was there an effort to secure an arrest warrant before handcuffing and taking Alexandra to jail.
*Remember Brittany Patterson, the North Georgia Mom arrested? The Deputies in that situation applied for an arrest warrant (using the misdemeanor "Reckless Conduct" statute), and a magistrate judge signed off on it (which he should not have, in our opinion). Those Deputies returned five hours later and arrested Brittany!
Is it a crime in Georgia for a child to be alone in a home? No.
Are there DFCS (Division of Family & Children Services) rules that the violation of which is a crime? No.
There are DFCS Guidelines "regarding the age at which children may be left unsupervised." At home, at a park, out in the woods, anywhere "unsupervised." These Guidelines suggest that between 9 and 12 (the older child is 10 and the younger child turns 9 in August), "based on level of maturity, may be left alone for brief (less than two hours) periods of time[.]"
Does DFCS know her children (or your children)? No. Are all children alike in terms of judgment and their ability to get water if they are thirsty, get a snack if they are hungry, work on homework without supervision (O.K., homework may be a challenge for many children to do without supervision!), or be home alone (or at the park alone)? No. Which is why these are Guidelines and not law.
This is yet another instance when law enforcement injects and substitutes its judgment about what parents can and cannot do, resulting in an arrest simply because they can do so! With the children unharmed, the question of the day is:
Why the 1st Degree Cruelty to Children criminal charge, a charge that does not remotely fit the facts, when the city police can be heard confirming the children are fine and they are not hurt or harmed?
Should this matter? The evidence presented includes two photographs: (1) an opened can of Twisted Tea (yes, an alcoholic beverage, but we believe (a) it was empty and (b) parents should not be obligated to empty their refrigerators and liquor cabinets whenever they leave a child home alone whether for a few hours or to walk the dog) and (2) a vape pen on a table (parents should not be required to remove any opened or unopened packs of cigarettes or cigars, vape pens, kitchen knives, sharp objects, or cleaning supplies under the sink when their children are 10 and nearly 9 years old).
Again, another mother arrested with handcuffs, fingerprinting, mug shot, stripping down and changing into jail clothing, because one or more persons in law enforcement claim it is SO dangerous to let children be at their own home without a parent watching every second.
When ParentsUSA asked the District Attorney for Gordon County to "consider the immediate withdrawal of the warrants, an apology, and a public exoneration," his response was:
I can assure you we will follow the evidence and the law. I don’t know the whole picture yet, so please give us some time to gather all evidence.
Erle J. Newton III
District Attorney
Cherokee Judicial Circuit
Gordon County Division
101 S. Piedmont Street, Suite 9
Calhoun, Ga. 30701
706-629-XXXX
ParentsUSA took under one hour to listen to the 911 call (and other audio, including the exchange between the DFCS worker and a police officer), watch the bodycam videos, read the incident report, examine the two photographs, and review the statute. We are 100% of the opinion that Alexandra did not commit a crime and certainly not "First Degree Cruelty to Children."
Edit: Weeks later the District Attorney apparently agreed and charged Alexandra with "Reckless Conduct," a law that did not apply to Melissa Henderson and did not apply to Brittany Patterson. It is the law used by law enforcement and prosecutors when they have to find some law to continue the criminal prosecution! Alexandra still faces 2 years in jail (one for each child) and up to $2,000 in fines ($1,000 per child).
This is yet another situation where a child who is not supervised at all times leads to the arrest and criminal charges being brought against a parent.
ParentsUSA will use its limited resources to defend Alexandra against these criminal charges AND to push back against DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services) efforts to impose a "Safety Plan" that includes "assessments" that are not at all related to a child being home unsupervised. Only parents should decide the level of supervision of their children unless, as per the US Supreme Court, it is necessary for the government to intervene to protect children from actual harm, not just something "could" happen or "might" happen.
ParentsUSA represents parents directly, advises and counsels their private attorneys, appeals adverse outcomes, and files amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) briefs in the appellate courts, including the US Supreme Court.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please follow ParentsUSA on social media, read our posts on social media, go to ParentsUSA, join and donate to this 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and read about our other cases. Donate here to help us defend Alexandra and represent other parents across the USA who need our help.
!
guidestar.org/profile/46-2936447