By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

Chasity Dawn Baker, 40, was arrested on Oct. 6 after allegedly leaving the Verbena residence of a special needs child she was babysitting and then further endangering the welfare of the child upon her return.

Baker is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and illegal possession of prescription drugs, each count with a $750 bond.

“Basically what happened, was the mother hired this lady to babysit her 14-year-old special needs son,” Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon said. “At some point in time, I guess [Baker] decides she’s got to leave to pick up a friend, and she leaves, locks the kid in the house, as I understand it.”

Shearon said Baker returned with a male friend after an “undisclosed amount of time,” creating a ruckus when her vehicle struck a mailbox.

An alleged argument between Baker and her passenger amplified the chaos, at which point neighbors reported the disturbance and entered the property to check on the welfare of the child, Shearon said.

The child’s mother returned shortly before law enforcement arrived at the scene, Shearon said.

“He said the child was, I guess, curled up on the floor in a fetal position,” Shearon said of the deputy’s findings upon entering the residence.

Shearon suggested Baker and her male friend were inebriated upon returning to the residence.

“The deputy said they weren’t acting right once he got there and arrived on scene,” Shearon said. “She was taken into custody for that.”

Some prescription drugs were allegedly recovered from Baker’s possession, and as the child’s entrusted care provider, Baker faces an endangerment of child welfare charge.

Baker’s friend was not taken into custody because he had no official responsibility to the child.

Baker was admitted to the Chilton County Jail on Oct. 6 around 10:45 p.m., and was released on Oct. 7 upon making bond.

Baker recently declared her actions to be misunderstood, but Shearon said all will be “sorted out” in court.

“’Innocent until proved guilty,’ but it don’t sound good from this point, anyway,” he said.

“You’ve got to be careful as to who’s watching your kids. You can have somebody who kind of sneaks in under the radar… you just never know,” Shearon said. “Just do everything you possibly can to try to verify who’s watching them.”