Crime & Safety

Mother Turns Herself In, Faces Felony Charges For Abandoning Baby

Brettany Walton was transferred to Cuyahoga County Jail Tuesday and is facing a felony child endangerment charge.

Brettany Walton, who is suspected of abandoning her 1-year-old son while shoplifting with two other girls, turned herself in to Westlake police at 11:15 a.m. Saturday.

Police say the 19-year-old mother left her sleeping son in a stroller after hitting several stores at Nov. 26.

Officers arrested two 15-year-old girls from Cleveland and Garfield Heights for receiving stolen property, obstructing official business, complicity and child endangerment after police found them with bags of stolen goods including clothing, accessories, toiletries, hair extensions and earphones. At first, the girls told police that they had no idea who had stolen the items or who boy's parents were, but later gave authorities Walton's name, and told them that she had fled the scene before police arrived.

Find out what's happening in Westlakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The took the boy to for a checkup, where medical staff found no health problems.

Westlake officers contacted Walton by phone, but she refused to come pick up her son, said Westlake Police Cpt. Guy Turner. Children’s Services assisted in finding the boy’s grandmother, who came to the hospital and took him home with her that night. She is in the process of trying to get custody of the boy through the courts, police said.

Find out what's happening in Westlakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Walton was transferred to Cuyahoga County Jail Tuesday morning to answer a felony child endangerment charge.

Garfield Heights police arrested Walton in May for a similar incident, and in July, she pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, child endangerment, attempted carrying a concealed weapon for a gun she was carrying, and aggravated theft, according to Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas documents.

Editor's Note: Warrants, arrests and charges do not indicate convictions.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Westlake