A Carter County woman is facing child neglect charges after police say she kept her grandson out of school in order to avoid being arrested on outstanding warrants.
Brenda Lee Harrison, 49, of 112 Mountain View Circle, was arrested Aug. 28 by officers of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department on outstanding warrants charging her with evading arrest, possession of a legend drug without a prescription, driving on a suspended license and failure to appear. She was additionally charged with one count of child neglect.
According to a warrant taken out by CCSD Deputy Billy Harrell, officers went to 863 Piney Flats Road in an attempt to serve warrants and located Harrison and her 13-year-old grandson hiding in a camper on the property. Harrell said the juvenile has missed two court dates out of Carter County Juvenile Court.
“His grandmother, Brenda Harrison, has knowingly kept him from court and school because she was wanted and was afraid of being found herself,” Harrell said. “His school year started on Aug. 11 and today is the 28th. He has not been to school one day this year.”
Harrell said Harrison was charged with child neglect “for the welfare of the child” because she was keeping the child from attending school.
The additional charges against Harrison stem from an incident which occurred in June when officers attempted to serve a summons from Juvenile Court on Harrison. According to warrants taken out by CCSD Deputy Al Meehan in that incident, officers were at Harrison’s residence attempting to serve the summons when they saw her drive by in a vehicle and continue onto another road.
Officers then responded to that location and found the vehicle Harrison had been driving abandoned with the keys in the ignition and her purse lying on the front seat. Meehan said a witness told officers Harrison had entered a nearby residence, adding while officers attempted to get Harrison to exit the residence she “apparently slipped out of the house and fled over the back fence.”
Harrison is currently being held in the Carter County Detention Center. She has a $5,000 bond on the child neglect charge, a $500 cash bond on the failure to appear charge, and a bond of $5,000 on the charges of evading arrest, possession of a legend drug without a prescription and driving on a suspended license. She is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on Oct. 24.