Mother granted bond after 3-year-old found outside SE Atlanta home
Lakisha Holmes and Andre Roundtree. Courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff's Office
ATLANTA - A mother accused of child cruelty after her 3-year-old son was found alone and appearing malnourished outside a southeast Atlanta home made her first court appearance Friday morning.
ORIGINAL STORY: Mom, stepfather charged after 3-year-old found wandering in SE Atlanta
What we know:
Lakisha Holmes, 30, was granted a $50,000 bond — $25,000 for each of the two felony counts she faces, including cruelty to children and reckless conduct. Her partner, 30-year-old Andre Roundtree, who faces the same charges, waived his first appearance. It remains unclear whether bond was granted in his case.
Holmes was also ordered to avoid contact not only with her 3-year-old son, but all children under the age of 18.
The backstory:
The investigation began late Wednesday night when Atlanta police responded to a home on Belford Road. Roderick Arnold, the homeowner, told FOX 5 Atlanta he heard crying outside around 10:30 p.m. and discovered the toddler barefoot, dressed only in underwear, and appearing injured.
"He had markings... his foot was bleeding, it looked like," Arnold said. "He left little specks, looked like blood on the floor."
The boy was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding Hospital. Authorities said the child appeared to have been neglected, and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services is now involved.
Holmes claimed she was at work during the incident and that her brother was watching the child when he allegedly wandered out. "My son was outside. My brother... he was going to the store and the baby walked out of the house and he was in the neighborhood," she told FOX 5.
Neighbors reported seeing Holmes searching for her son Thursday morning. Police arrested both Holmes and Roundtree later that day, with FOX 5 cameras capturing Holmes’ reaction: "Why are you guys out here? It’s not that serious."
What's next:
Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the Atlanta Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.
What we don't know:
At this time, we don't know when Holmes and Roundtree will be back in court. The child's current status is unknown.