A 39-year-old local woman was charged with child abuse or neglect after deputies allegedly found her five-year-old child was found playing in the roadway on Allen’s Ferry last week.

According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Tara Jane Atnip was charged after a deputy responding to a call on May 1 of a passerby who found a child running in the roadway around Mount Holly Cemetery.

Due to the child being found running in the roadway unaccompanied by an adult and her health and welfare being in imminent danger, Atnip was arrested and charged in the case.

Her bond is $8,000, and her court date is May 18.

Michael Blair Lawson, 27, of Old Hickory has been charged with public intoxication, domestic assault, and being a fugitive from justice.

Ray said a deputy was dispatched to Evins Mill, where a man was reported to be unruly and trying to start fights. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with Lawson, who was allegedly unsteady on his feet and had a strong odor of alcohol on him.

Lawson’s girlfriend reportedly told the deputy that Lawson caused bodily harm to her child by spanking him, leaving a bruise. Lawson allegedly told the child he would buy him a fidget spinner if he did not say anything about the incident.

A computer check revealed that Lawson is wanted in Monongalia County, West Virginia for a failure to appear on a night-time burglary charge and a third offense of driving under the influence. Lawson will be extradited back to West Virginia.

His bonds total $56,500 and his court date is May 18.

James Grady Warner, 53, was charged with domestic assault on May 7.

The sheriff said a deputy responding to a residence on Lonnie Cantrell Road due to a physical domestic was told by a woman that Warner pushed her into a dresser, causing her to fall out of a doorway onto the ground. The woman said that Warner broke a dinner plate over her back and closed a truck window on her fingers dragging her about ten feet, causing scrapes and bruises on her hands, arms, and back.

His bond is $5,000 and his court date is May 18.