The mother of a 5-year-old boy found wandering alone at one in the morning in his underpants on a street in Lighthouse Point has been charged with child neglect.
Candice Johansen, 24, also faces charges of battery on an officer and obstruction of justice after she allegedly left her two sons home alone early Wednesday morning.
According to a police report, an officer happened upon the youngster around 1:20 a.m. on the 3600 block of Northeast 22 Avenue.
When the officer asked him where his mother was, the 5-year-old said she was "having a cigarette somewhere," according to the report.
When the officer went to the nearby apartment where the family lives, he found another child, a 3-year-old boy, sound asleep on a bunk bed in the living room.
Police said they searched the area around the apartment for an hour looking for Johansen, until she returned to the home around 2:20 a.m.
She was arrested and is being held at the Broward County jail on $6,000 bond. Also arrested at the scene was Johansen's boyfriend, 34-year-old Aaron Brown, who was busted for violating a restraining order.
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Meanwhile, both children have been placed in foster care and there will be a hearing in three weeks to find permanent arrangements for them.
