Name:
Vital, Ted Wayne
Date of Booking:
09/07/2023
Reason(s) For Booking:
CRUELTY TO CHILDREN
ABANDONMENT OF DEPENDENT CHILD- FELONY
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 09/06/2023 at approximately 1108 hrs, I was dispatched to [1200 BLOCK] Knotts Dr for an unattended juvenile.
I arrived on scene and spoke to Ms [WITNESS #1] who stated sometime between 1045 hrs she heard her doorbell ring when Ms [WITNESS #1] opened her front door she saw a young child approximately 3 to 4 years old, the child walked into her residence.
Ms [WITNESS #1] walked the child up the street believing the child lived at [1200 BLOCK] Knotts Dr. The homeowners did not know who the child was. Ms [WITNESS #1] called 911 emergency services to assist with locating the child’s parents.
I arrived on scene and talked to the child. The child did not know where he lived, or his mother’s name only known as “mommy” by the child. I asked the child what his name was, but the child has a heavy accent which I could not understand.
The only words the child has said to me was “yes” and “no” I asked the child where he lived, and the child pointed with his finger to the house across the street [1200 BLOCK] Knotts Dr. I knocked on the door, but the owner did not know who the child was or where the child came from.
I began to walk with the child on Knotts Dr knocking on doors for an hour yielding negative results for the parents of the child.
I contacted 149 Sgt Lui who arrived on scene and began checking the mobile home park (Countryside Mobile Home Park) I then contacted Department Of Family and Children Services (DFCS) who sent a case worker Ms [REDACTED] to sit with the child until a guardian could be located.
The child was transported to 123 E Ml King Jr Dr (Hinesville Police Department) by Lt Guy 163 after stopping by cookout fast food because the child was hungry.
Ms [REDACTED] sat with the child at the Hinesville Police Department while Harman 117, Myers 178, Pike 146 and I went door to door in the neighborhood looking for the child’s parents/guardian. After searching Countryside Mobile Home Park, Magnolia Mobile Home Park, Hideaway Mobile Home Park, South Main St Mobile Home Park, and Eagle Apartments we found no information on the child or the parents/guardians.
Upon returning to our patrol vehicles parked on Knotts Dr Officer Harman and I were contacted by an anonymous person who stated he had security footage of the Knotts Dr. The anonymous person provided footage of a black male wearing a white t-shirt walking down Knotts Drive from S Main St.
The unknown male can be seen leaving the child in the Cul-De-Sac then hastily jogging away leaving the child in the dark to fend for himself. The unknown male can be seen making a right on south Main St walking south bound.
At 0400 hours Ms [REDACTED] was advised by Ms [REDACTED] (DFACS Director) that a verbal order was issued by a superior court judge to take custody of the child.
A photograph of the child and the security footage were added to this report.
[End of Narrative]