Woman charged with abandoning child at town park, South Carolina police say

A South Carolina woman was arrested Monday after she left a child at a town park, according to the Irmo Police Department .

Frankie Campbell-Provo, 55, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child , police said in a news release.

Officers got involved at about 7:40 p.m., when they were called to Irmo Community Park at 7507 Eastview Drive , according to the release.

The person who called told the officers there was an unattended child at the park, police said.

The person brought their grandchild to the park at about 6 p.m., and a short time later saw the grandchild playing with the other child, according to the release.

The person said they were concerned because wasn’t an adult or guardian around the child, police said.

The children played, and after an hour there was still no sign of a parent or guardian, according to the release. When the child was asked who was with them at the park, the child said they’d been dropped off by their mother but did not know how to contact her, police said.

That’s when the police were called.

Officers went to the park and took custody of the child, according to the release. The child told the officers their mother’s name and what type of vehicle she drove, police said.

The child, who’s under the age of 10, was visibly scared and told officers they were hungry and thirsty, according to the release. The officers assured the child that they were safe and provided food and something to drink, police said.

At 8:20 p.m., officers saw a vehicle matching the description the child gave, according to the release. The vehicle drove by but did not stop, and another officer had to pull over the vehicle as the driver tried to leave the park, police said.

The driver was brought back to where officers were with the child and was identified as Campbell-Provo, according to the release.

After being read her Miranda rights, Campbell-Provo admitted that she was the legal guardian of the child and dropped them off at the park at 6 p.m., saying she was going grocery shopping and would be back for the child at 8 p.m., police said.

Campbell-Provo acknowledged that the child did not have a cell phone or any means of communication, and police said that the 55-year-old did not seem to understand that she had placed the child in danger, according to the release.

Campbell-Provo was arrested in willfully abandoning the child and placing them at “unreasonable risk of harm affecting their life, physical health, and safety,” police said. Campbell-Provo was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to the release.

Information about Campbell-Provo’s bond status was not available, but she is not listed on the jail’s inmate roster .

The child was released into the custody of a family member, police said.

If convicted on the felony unlawful conduct toward a child charge, Campbell-Provo faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison , according to South Carolina law.

“As a parent, I am disappointed at the situation this child was placed in,” Police Chief Bobby Dale said in the release. “Anything could’ve happened to them, and they had no way to call for help and no adult there to make sure they were safe. I want to thank the person who called us, they saw something, and most importantly, they said something.

“I am very proud of our officers for how they responded to the call, how they made sure this child felt safe and for taking swift, appropriate action.”