North Belle Vernon toddler in PJs found wandering
NORTH BELLE VERNON – A North Belle Vernon woman faces charges after borough police found her 3-year-old son wandering in the borough looking for food last month while she allegedly was passed out on a couch at their home.
Borough police filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against Allison Lynn Chiaravalle, 31, of 826 Graham St., charging her with endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment stemming from the Feb. 21 incident, court records show.
An officer was sitting in his cruiser in the parking lot of Dairy Queen, 33 Fayette Ave., when he noticed the toddler running down the street wearing pajamas and sneakers about 10:40 p.m., police stated in the affidavit supporting the criminal charges.
The officer went to the boy and asked him where his parents were. The child replied that he was hungry and that his father occasionally takes him to the Dairy Queen to eat.
The boy began to cry after the officer told him the restaurant was closed for the day, the record states.
The officer placed the child in the cruiser and the two of them traveled around several blocks until the boy recognized his home.
The two went inside, and the officer called out to see if anyone was home. He said he eventually found Chiaravalle unresponsive on the couch and made numerous unsuccessful attempts to awaken her before summoning an ambulance to the residence, the record states.
The medics found her walking around, but she didn’t answer their questions after they seated her in a kitchen chair. They transported her to Mon Valley Hospital after telling the officer they were concerned about her vital signs.
The officer reportedly found a bottle of prescription sleeping pills and a letter from Fayette County Children and Youth Services regarding a child-abuse complaint that had been filed. It was not immediately known Thursday if the child was placed into the custody of a relative or Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau.
District Judge Charles Christner issued the charges against Chiaravalle in a summons.