The Johnston County Department of Social Services has removed two small children from a Four Oaks area home.
WTSB News has learned that the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) was called to a home in the 3300 block of Juniper Church Road on Sunday. A concerned citizen reported a 1 year-old child had crawled from a home across the street onto the front steps of his residence. Authorities said the baby apparently crossed the rural roadway and somehow avoided being struck by a car.
Deputies went to the child’s home and located the mother who reportedly told officers she no longer had a 1 year-old daughter, claiming the child had previously been removed from the home by police.
Officers also located a 3 year-old boy in the home, which was described as “badly unkempt.”
Authorities said the mother, 27 year-old Samantha Brooke Bryant, was acting very erratically. Bryant was charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse and jailed under a $5,000 bond. The two children were placed in the custody of social workers.
A man located at Bryant’s home was wanted for probation violation. He was also arrested and transported to the Johnston County Jail.
A spokesperson for the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said both children were unharmed.
