Mom left non-verbal son, 4-year-old daughter alone while at the bar, police say

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) – A 25-year-old mother is accused of leaving her children alone while she went to a bar in Wisconsin.

Christina Badalamenti was charged Monday with two felony counts of neglecting a child, resulting in no harm to a child under 6 or with a disability, and one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer.

According to the criminal complaint, an officer found her non-verbal 6-year-old son wandering alone on a parking ramp while the officer was searching for a driver who ran away during a traffic stop.

Police say the boy was wearing a winter coat with a fur hood, sleeping pants and rain boots.

The officer brought the child to his squad car to get him warm during the 20-degree temperatures.

Police looked at their file of non-verbal persons and found a picture of the boy and his address.

When officers went to the home, they knocked, got no answer but could see a child inside. Once they gained entry, they found the boy’s 4-year-old sister home alone.

“Police were able to contact the 25-year-old Green Bay mom, who was at a bar and claimed that she had left the children with a babysitter who, when interviewed, told officers she was never contacted,” police said.

The children were placed with their father, who lives in Coleman.

Police praised the quick response.

“This could’ve ended in tragedy. We must recognize our officer’s quick actions on the matter and the work by our crime analysis division to identify non-verbal residents when reported to the Green Bay Police by their family members. This resource has proven to be very useful related to this most recent incident,” said Commander Kevin Warych with the Green Bay Police Department.