Staff Report
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BENTON– A mother has been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor after her toddler was found in a roadway.

On July 7, deputy Jason Ivey responded to the area of Scale Road and Granite Lane in Benton in reference to a passerby finding a 2-year old child walking down the road. Deputy Ivey spoke with the caller who advised she had seen a child’s toy car in the road. According to the witness, the child had stepped out of the car. The child was located approximately a quarter mile from his home.

After locating the child’s mother, Shawna M. Wilcher, she advised she had returned home from work at 3 a.m. and was still asleep when the child left the home. She also advised a chain lock on the front door must not have been locked.

Wilcher, of Benton, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor and was lodged in the Marshall County Detention Center. Wilcher is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.