Marion County parents accused of leaving child in car with no air-conditioning, deputies say

MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Marion County parents are accused of failing to enroll their children in school and leaving an infant with drugs nearby inside a car with no air conditioning, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.

Mitchell Randolph Barton, 32, and Allee Rebecca Barton, 27, both of Gresham were charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk of or cause harm, failure to enroll or cause a student to attend school, contributing to delinquency of a minor, and obstructing justice.

Alle Barton was also charged with possession of less than one gram of meth or cocaine base.

Deputies said they were assisting the Marion County Department of Social Services with a service call at the Bartons home when they allegedly hid their six and seven-year-old children and refused to disclose their location.

It is further alleged that the Bartons kept the children out of school to avoid DSS contact, deputies said.

While on-scene, deputies said they heard the cries of an infant, and found a one-year-old child inside a car with no air conditioning with the temperature outside being 85 degrees.

A crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamines was found near the child inside the vehicle, deputies said. The child had shortness of breath and was taken to a local hospital. The child was treated and has been released, deputies said.

All three children are now in the custody of the Department of Social Services and the Bartons have been released on bond from the Marion County Detention Center.

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Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13 . She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13’s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylor’s work here .

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