Police: Green Bay mom left kids alone while she was at bar

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - A 25-year-old Green Bay woman is accused of leaving her children alone while she went to a bar. Her non-verbal son was found wandering in a downtown parking ramp.

Christina Badalamenti was charged Monday with two felony counts of neglecting a child, resulting in no harm to a child under 6 or with a disability, and one misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer.

The criminal complaint says over the weekend, an officer made a traffic stop and the driver ran away. While police were searching for the driver, Officer Kendal Herwald came upon a 6-year-old boy in the Pine Street parking ramp.

Police say the boy is non-verbal. He was wearing a winter coat with a fur hood, sleeping pants and rain boots. The officers brought the child to his squad car to get him warm during the 20-degree temperatures.

Police looked at their file of non-verbal persons and found a picture of the boy and his address. When officers went to the home, they knocked but got no answer but could see a child inside. Once they gained entry, they found the boy’s 4-year-old sister home alone.

“Police were able to contact the 25-year-old Green Bay mom, who was at a bar and claimed that she had left the children with a babysitter, who when interviewed, told officers she was never contacted,” police say.

The children were placed with their father, who lives in Coleman.

Police praised the quick response.

“This could’ve ended in tragedy. We must recognize our officer’s quick actions on the matter and the work by our crime analysis division to identify non-verbal residents when reported to the Green Bay Police by their family members. This resource has proven to be very useful related to this most recent incident,” said Commander Kevin Warych, Green Bay Police Department.

If you have a non-verbal family member, you can call (920) 448-3200 and ask to speak with someone who can put that person in the database.