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Cantonment Woman Charged After Child Found Alone By Roadway
October 4, 2019
A Cantonment woman is accused of child neglect after her child was found alone along a local roadway.
On Wednesday, a good Samaritan reported she saw the young child walking down the side of the Well Line Road near Pine Top Road. The woman stopped, and the child stated her name and pointed to Brookhills Drive, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The woman walked with the child who led her to her home.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence, and a deputy knocked at the door multiple times with no answer. When he knocked on a window, Kolbie Renea Klingman came to the door looking for the child.
Klingman told the deputy that the house has deadbolts that require a key to unlock from both the inside and outside, and she put the key in her dresser drawer before trying to get some rest because she had not been feeling well, according to an arrest report.
ECSO records show deputies had responded to two previous situations where the child had left the home unattended. In one of those incidents, the child was able to get the key and unlock the backdoor before being found walking down Brookhills Drive.
Klingman, 26, was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. She was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
Editor’s note: Readers may remember a similar story in July about a 2-year old that was found alone on Brookhills Drive and a subsequent arrest .ECSO Maj. Andrew Hobbs said the July incident was unrelated to this week’s incident and did not involve the same child or the same home.
Comments
21 Responses to “Cantonment Woman Charged After Child Found Alone By Roadway”
There is no law in Florida or Alabama that prevents a parent from physically disciplining their child. A good old fashioned spanking is not child abuse nor is it violence. I retired from DCF. I’ve had several cases like this. There is usually more going on in the background. But like one of our judges told a young mom, a small child is not a pet. Many times a parent cannot cope. I’m glad this mom has family help. But you do have to make your child mind. If you can’t control your two year old, you won’t control your twelve year old. This mom is not the only one. I hope she gets and accepts the help she needs. Follow your case plan and let your case worker help you. Good luck to your family.
@ The Parent
I agree with you 100%. Anyone that hasn’t gone through situations like this, they do not understand. They will never understand, and they don’t want to understand.
Try to overlook the negative comments on here, and carry on with what you are doing to help your daughter. Getting this under control to stop the child from escaping will take some time in the making. Now you have to find and pay babysitter’s while you work. Hang in there and May God Bless you and your family.
To Rational: You are on the mark. I agree with you.
To Parent: At 26, give me a break, this grown woman needs to get her act together. Continue keeping the children until she does. She may, though, never get her act together. But at 26, she has some problems because you are a full grown up at 18.
Thank you parent for keeping the children.
@rational, the parent is right here bending over backwards to help this girl out. As of now I have the kids in my costudy and at 26 and living on her own with her fiance and me living across town having to have my own job to support myself the only thing that could have changed this situation from my point is me giving everything up and moving in with her to watch the kids. Before you ask what the parents are doing ask someone who knows the situation and then get back with me.
Why are people defending the Mother? It has happen before and it will happen again. Obviously, she is a kid herself and needs help raising her child. Where are the parents or relatives to help this Mother out?
@Wonder why,
Maybe you don’t know this, but a parent CAN correct and punish their children. It happens every day. It’s very closed minded and presumptuous to ASSume that she does not do so. There was nothing in the story to indicate what disciplinary methods the mother may employ. For all we know from the article, she could beat the child on a daily basis. That still would in no way guarantee the child not doing the same thing again and again.
@G,
Your daughter may have learned the lesson from getting her behind torn up, but that’s not the answer for every child. What works for one may not work for another. Some kids require nothing more than a stern talking to or “the look” from a parent while others can be beaten within an inch of their lives and it will only strengthen their resolve.
Spanking or not, depends on the child and the infraction. Thinking violence will resolve all issues…is ridiculous and very mistaken.
I don’t know this woman, but I can honestly say with 100% certainty that this could happen to anyone. Unless you never let your child out of your sight for a second, even taking the child into the bathroom with you every time you go (which, face it, would mean that you and the child both have much bigger problems than we’re discussing here), that child can slip out a door, window, doggy door, etc and be off like a flash.
In the early 50’s I had a sister who began sleepwalking during the night. When my parents heard an exterior door close in the middle of the night they found her outside walking around. To remedy this situation, they purchased over the door bells like you see in retail stores, restaurants & other commercial settings. The bells ring whenever a customer or anyone opens the door. They put one over my sister’s bedroom door and one over every exterior door. This solved the problem as it woke up everyone whenever the bell would ring. It’s worth a try for anyone who has little escape artists!
Ok, we have all the keyboard warriors bashing and sitting back scratching their butts, picking their nose. Being so witty.
The lady needs help and compassion, you must think you have the magic answer.
Hate to ruin your delusion , but you dont. When a person needs help, sometimes dcf can help provide services , not throw them under the bus.
I do hope she gets help, it has nothing to do with getting a flipping “whoopin” and other physical acts. Low gene pool residue would recommend physical harm and and touching with force of a child to teach them ..not to be a child
About 3 months ago my father found the little girl walking down the road she was headed towards the curve at well line and Santa Rosa he stopped was walking and talking to her she told him her name and how old she was and said where she lived. He was walking her home and she said she didn’t want to go home as they were walking towards Brook Hill’s he was on the phone with 911 as a car came flying out of the trailer park she jumped out and grab her and took off. How many times does this have to happen before something’s done.
My oldest son at 3 years old ran away from the babysitters while I was at work & she was busy switching her clothes to dryer from washer. The sitter called me at work frantic because she couldn’t find him. Before I could leave work I got another call from my sister , who lived next door to my house, saying a deputy pulled up in my driveway with him in the car . He directed the deputy to our house from a mile away. This was the 80’s & no big issue was made because he was safely returned. I would be mortified to have even a big kid walk down Eight Mile Creek Rd. or Klondike Road now as they’ve unintentionally become commuter superhighways with the runaway growth in the neighboring community of Beulah.
I feel bad for the young lady but this can’t happen any more , I’m glad the child wasn’t ran over or kidnapped.
100% agree with wonder why. My daughter did something similar at age three and I caught her as she was climbing the gate next to the highway and I tore her behind up, and guess what? She loves me to death and never done anything like that again. She is about to go to college now and I couldn’t be more proud of how she turned out.
Ruth & Molino mom quit judging! I’m with the others. I also have had this to happen. My little boy had been left by his dad to go do something & he was all of like 2-21/2 yrs old at the time but the point he wanted to go with his daddy, his daddy left him & he was going to catch up to him he said & that was off of 29. He was already at the highway before my daughter caught up with him. She was running. He would open our doors, my husband built a gate on the porch, he crawled over it. We put up latches like hotel ones & he would try to stack stuff to climb & unlock the door so no I do not agree with either one of you. Sheila Hubbard it can happen repeatedly, you can’t watch a child 24/7 maybe she needs help.
It’s a shame that this mother is experiencing the same thing we are. I have a 3 year old genius Grandson. He started unlocking exterior doors at 2 years old. No parent realizes this until it happens. My Grandson would be found outside, in the garage, on the back porch – just everywhere. Day and night just as this small child is doing. Finally my son had to install double cylinder deadbolts on all the exit doors. On the interior doors, they installed plastic knob covers to keep him out of the bathrooms and bedrooms. Playing in the toilets is one of his favorites. The kitchen cabinets have been secured with child proof locks. He has now figured out how to open the cabinets and pour out flour, sugar, spread peanut butter everywhere and the list goes on. A plastic knob cover has been placed on the inside of his bedroom. He has now figured out how to open doors with the covers. A person must squeeze this cover to make contact with the knob to open it. Since double cylinder deadbolts take some work to install and cost are high, I suggest the locks that hotels use at the top of their doors. Slide chains or hasps with an unlocked master lock stuck through it. Driveway alarms sold at Harbor Freight (Bunker Hill) are very helpful used indoors and outdoors. That will let you know when a toddler is roaming around the house. I hope Miss Klingman can get it figured out so the family can rest in peace without an escapee and stop the arrests. Sorry for Miss Klingman, you are getting ready to go through a series of things with your youngster. Just be on the lookout as much as you can. It can be difficult to just use the restroom as they escape at any time through any means to escape. I currently have step ladders laying lengthwise across the front of my doors on the inside, and I’ve had no problems with the escapee. I would hear the noise if anyone tries to get out or come in.
Sunny for safer parenting and most of the time we get no peaceful rest with plundering children. That’s the way they are and there is no changing them.
Stay a step ahead of their game.
You posters can slash me, bash me or whatever – but unless you are going through this or have been through this – then you don’t know what’s it like.
If I lived in the area, (I don’t by the way) I would reach out to her, offer an hour here or there to watch the child. Befriending and offering compassion is a more gentle and possibly healing result than condemning her and tossing stones. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
If the child had only done this the 1 time, and a parent could punish them , maybe they would learn to NOT go outside without an adult. As it is now, this is commonplace. As parents can not correct a child, or punish the child. Yet the parent can go to jail if child does things that an unparented child will do. It’s a terrible time we live in… Kids need parenting. Parents need to teach and child needs leadership..
Bring back the belt!
The children have been placed with a family member. The mother is complying with DCF to get this situation under control so it does not happen again.
OK. I am not going to be so forgiving as Molino and Tee bug. Give me a break. Once, OK it could happen. But two then three times. Wake up folks. This is an awful mother. The fourth time the child could be killed by a vehicle. No more excuses. Get your act together and take the child away until this happens.
“It’s disheartening it happened more than once but I will withhold judgement.”
I think it sounds like there were other instances, but it was not the same adult/child. It does not say how old the child was, but obviously old enough to speak, and know where it lived. Some children could get out of any house if they wanted to, but it is still scary. Scary for the child, and scary for every Mom out there who is sick and still has to take care of her child.
My youngest child started walking at eight months..one day i was sitting in the den reading the paper, i assumed he was playing in the bedroom with his siblings…a knock came at the door. When i answered a lady was standing there with my now 9 month old. She asked if that was my child..dumbfounded i took my child and asked what was going on. She said he was walking down the street.. this was in Smithtown Long Island, New York. A quiet residential area.
I never dreamed he could navigate the steps and make it to the street..
I never turned my back after that, he was just to curious.
I fully know how this could happen, but for it to RePEATEDLY HAPPEN theres no excuse for, sometimes we dont get a SECOND CHANCE.
Indeed things like this can happen even to the best of parents I’m sure she thought they were safe inside as she was resting we all just need to make sure we double check behind ourselves and sometimes even that’s not enough
I won’t bad mouth this woman because this could easily happen to anyone, as scary as that is. I’ve got 2 kids, I know how crafty they are and they don’t have the common sense yet needed to not go out into danger. That being said, more precautions could be taken. We had to put latches on the very top of our doors to keep ours from opening them. The child could have also been asleep when she laid down to nap. It’s disheartening it happened more than once but I will withhold judgement.