33-year-old Carla MaynardCLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -
A Clarksville mother was charged with child abuse and neglect after police say she left her six-year-old child in the car while she mowed the lawn Saturday afternoon.
The mother, 33-year-old Carla Maynard, said the child was unresponsive when she went to check on her.
According to police, the child took some of her mother's pills, Clonazepam, while sitting in the car.
"Raising kids is kind of like being a cop. You pray for the best, but you always plan for the worst," said Sgt. Charles Gill with the Clarksville Police Department. "You have to expect the unexpected."
Maynard told police she left the car running with the air conditioner on but when police arrived they found it was turned off with the windows down.
"The mother says the car was running. Witnesses say the car wasn't running," said Sgt. Gill.
The child was transported to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville.
Maynard's bond was set at $5,000.
