Mother Charged For Abandoning Son At Disneyland
Mother: 'The Lord Told Me He Was OK And To Trust In Him'
POSTED: 12:45 pm PDT August 4, 2004
UPDATED: 1:16 pm PDT August 4, 2004
LOS ANGELES -- A single mom accused of abandoning her 8-year-old son during a July 15 visit to Disneyland was charged Wednesday with a single felony count of child abuse.
Robyn Freeman, 38, has been held on $100,000 bail since her arrest Monday in Anaheim.
"The Lord told me he was OK and to trust in Him," a seemingly calm and smiling Freeman said as she got into a squad car that day.
The Redlands woman and her 11-year-old daughter Shannon were spotted by someone who had seen a TV report about the case.
The search for her began after her son Aaron -- since transferred to the care of a relative in Yucaipa -- was found wandering alone in Downtown Disney.
After questioning her for several hours Monday, police booked Freeman at the Anaheim Detention Center, and Shannon was turned over to county social workers, said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez.
Assistant District Attorney Jo Escobar said Freeman faces up to six years in prison if convicted.
She said Freeman made conflicting statements about what happened, but "didn't indicate a desire to permanently abandon him, and so that's why she was not charged with child abandonment. It's not clear how she thought she was going to reclaim him," Escobar said.
The prosecutor said many questions remain.
"There is no explanation really given" for her actions, Escobar said.
Escobar said Freeman, according to police reports, made "some mention of two people, first names only," with whom she left her son.
When Freeman was arrested, police said she had made no attempt to reunite with her son, who spent a good part of the day alone, nor did she notify law enforcement officers.
Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez said Monday that Freeman indicated she was "not aware anybody was looking for her." He said police "had to show her news articles" about the search for her.
"I would describe her as having a happy attitude, happy and carefree, and unaware that people were concerned for her safety," Martinez said.
Escobar said Freeman's statements indicate "some disconnect," but it remains to be seen if she will be ordered to undergo any mental evaluation.
"We can't force the point," she said, adding that the court can order an evaluation if there appears to be a question of competency, and that the defense, as part of its case, also can seek such an evaluation.
"I have a feeling that will happen," Escobar said. "Hopefully, the defense or the court will make a determination there should be one."
Family members told reporters over the weekend Freeman was struggling to raise Shannon and Aaron, and that the children's respective fathers have not been in their lives and do not pay child support.
Mother: 'The Lord Told Me He Was OK And To Trust In Him'
POSTED: 12:45 pm PDT August 4, 2004
UPDATED: 1:16 pm PDT August 4, 2004
LOS ANGELES -- A single mom accused of abandoning her 8-year-old son during a July 15 visit to Disneyland was charged Wednesday with a single felony count of child abuse.
Robyn Freeman, 38, has been held on $100,000 bail since her arrest Monday in Anaheim.
"The Lord told me he was OK and to trust in Him," a seemingly calm and smiling Freeman said as she got into a squad car that day.
The Redlands woman and her 11-year-old daughter Shannon were spotted by someone who had seen a TV report about the case.
The search for her began after her son Aaron -- since transferred to the care of a relative in Yucaipa -- was found wandering alone in Downtown Disney.
After questioning her for several hours Monday, police booked Freeman at the Anaheim Detention Center, and Shannon was turned over to county social workers, said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez.
Assistant District Attorney Jo Escobar said Freeman faces up to six years in prison if convicted.
She said Freeman made conflicting statements about what happened, but "didn't indicate a desire to permanently abandon him, and so that's why she was not charged with child abandonment. It's not clear how she thought she was going to reclaim him," Escobar said.
The prosecutor said many questions remain.
"There is no explanation really given" for her actions, Escobar said.
Escobar said Freeman, according to police reports, made "some mention of two people, first names only," with whom she left her son.
When Freeman was arrested, police said she had made no attempt to reunite with her son, who spent a good part of the day alone, nor did she notify law enforcement officers.
Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez said Monday that Freeman indicated she was "not aware anybody was looking for her." He said police "had to show her news articles" about the search for her.
"I would describe her as having a happy attitude, happy and carefree, and unaware that people were concerned for her safety," Martinez said.
Escobar said Freeman's statements indicate "some disconnect," but it remains to be seen if she will be ordered to undergo any mental evaluation.
"We can't force the point," she said, adding that the court can order an evaluation if there appears to be a question of competency, and that the defense, as part of its case, also can seek such an evaluation.
"I have a feeling that will happen," Escobar said. "Hopefully, the defense or the court will make a determination there should be one."
Family members told reporters over the weekend Freeman was struggling to raise Shannon and Aaron, and that the children's respective fathers have not been in their lives and do not pay child support.
