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Sudbury mother charged with leaving toddler home alone

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane October 21, 2008 07:00 PM

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By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

Editor’s Update: The case against Sarah Stevenson was continued without a finding for one year, according to district court records. After Ms. Stevenson met the requirements of the court, a judge dismissed the case on Dec. 17, 2010 following a recommendation by the Probation Department.

A 20-year-old Sudbury mother has been charged with reckless endangerment after police said she left her 2-year-old son home alone Saturday evening.

Sarah Stevenson will be summonsed to Framingham District Court, police said.

Neighbors in the Longfellow Glen apartment complex called 911 shortly after 8:30 p.m. after hearing a child crying nonstop for over 45 minutes, police said. Firefighters rushed to the apartment, but no one answered. They forced open the door and found a 2 1/2-year-old boy sitting on a couch with the television on.

The boy was wearing nothing but a T-shirt, having pried off his diaper.

Police removed the child from the apartment, and the state Department of Children and Families took custody of him. Spokeswoman Alison Goodwin confirmed that DCF still had custody of the child tonight. She would not comment on the boy's future.

"Our primary concern is for the safety of the child," said Sudbury Police Lieutenant Scott Nix. "That's why we made the decision to take the child out of the home."

Stevenson told police she went out for gasoline and cigarettes. She returned home about an hour after police arrived, Nix said.

Longfellow Glen is the only privately-owned rental community in Sudbury. The complex has about 300 units, according to town officials.

John Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com