Is the Mayor Now Babysitting AND Handing Out Library Cards?
Child Left Unattended at Patrick Henry Library for Hours
Source: WJLA News
A mother is facing child neglect charges after police said she left her young child at a Vienna library, while she went to work.
Around 1:30 p.m., police went to the Patrick Henry Library at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Center Street. A library employee called to say a six-year-old boy was left unattended.
The child told employees his mom had dropped him off at the library, said she'd be back in three hours and then left. Officers worked to find out his name and where he lived. According to officers, the boy didn't know his address or telephone number.
Police said the boy did know where his mom worked and a dispatcher was able to call the woman at her workplace and tell her to come to the library. Both the boy's mother and father come to the library and talk with officer.
The mother, 37-year-old Mei Mei Lin was charged with child neglect for leaving her son unsupervised. She faces up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Lin was released on a summons. The child was released into the father's custody.
This isn't the first case of a child left unattended at a library. Mary Mulrenan with the Fairfax County (web|news) 's public library says it's happened at her location. "It does happen. It's not something that happens on a daily basis, regularly, but it is something that does occur at the library."
Because of that incident, Fairfax County put pamphlets in all of their libraries telling parents how young, is too young. It recommends that any child under seven should never be left alone in a public place for any period of time.
Fairfax County Child Protective Services will be following up on the case.
Comments
Perhaps, when our good Mayor takes a break from her babysitting duties at the Vienna library and the Cedar Park Shopping Center she can do something “better”…
Just received my June edition of the Town of Vienna Newsletter (propaganda). You know, the one with Mayor Jane Seeman’s picture on page 3 with the adjoining self-promoting article “We Can Do Better”. The Mayor is quick to promote that “SEVERAL YEARS AGO VIENNA WAS RATED THE FOURTH BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN AMERICA” What the Mayor failed to mention is that in 2007 MONEY MAGAZINE RATED VIENNA IN 70th PLACE OUT OF 100; A DROP OF 66 PLACES IN 3 YEARS!!! The Mayor remarks “again, that’s quite an accomplishment” “but we can do better” A major reason for Vienna’s decline, literally and figuratively, can be laid at the feet of the “afraid-to-do-anything” Town Officials that continue to allow the Cedar Park Shopping Center and Vienna Park Apartments to fuel the decline of the neighborhoods in SE/SW Vienna. One Vienna resident was recently quoted in the press "I live in a million dollar home in the middle of a ghetto". In yesterday’s Washington Post, Vienna was cited as one of Fairfax County’s “foreclosure hot spots”. No wonder families would not want to move into a town that allows over-crowded apartments, uncontrolled shopping centers and flop-houses to flourish. Who in their right mind would seriously give consideration of moving their family and loved-ones into such an area?
The Mayor closes the article with “We can all do better and everyone one of us – staff, elected officials, and citizens – can resolve to make Vienna an even better place to live and do business”. Well Madam Mayor, is this comment a bunch of self-serving words for your ego, or are you, as an “elected official” actually going to do something, anything, to make the SE/SW neighborhoods of the town “an even better place to live and do business”?
Posted by: Ostrich”ized” | June 20, 2008 07:03 AM
I read the report that the Post's article was based on (the online version of the story has a link to it). Vienna is not listed as a hot spot. The report does include the so-called Vienna zip code 22182 in a list of "potential hot spots" which thus far have had very few foreclosures. In case you don't know, 22182 isn't in the town of Vienna, and since it lies north of the town, it isn't particularly close to the parts of SE/SW Vienna that you are worried about.
Posted by: Hot spot not | June 21, 2008 12:17 AM
1 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure HILLCREST DR SW $442,900.00
2 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure STONE HOLLOW DR $357,900.00
3 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure PARK TOWER DR APT 107 $476,900.00
4 22180 VIENNA Auction ORCHARD ST NW -
5 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure ECHOLS ST SE $509,250.00
6 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure YEONAS DR SE -
7 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure BOWLING GREEN DR $399,900.00
8 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure WARE ST SW $420,000.00
9 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure WALKER ST SW $457,900.00
10 22180 VIENNA Auction LOCUST ST SW -
11 22180 VIENNA Auction HILLTOP RD -
12 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure LYNN ST SW $435,900.00
13 22180 VIENNA Auction COTTAGE ST SW -
14 22180 VIENNA Foreclosure PARK ST $599,000.00
Source: http://www.foreclosuredeals.com/lview.php?zipcode=22180&miles=5&x=13&y=7
Posted by: seemstobeapatternhere | June 21, 2008 04:01 PM
According to the report, Foreclosures in the Washington DC Region Evaluating the Scope of the Crisis, Prepared for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments:
“This neighborhood (22182) has seen very few foreclosures in recent months, with only one in February 2008, two in December 2007, and one in October 2007”; that = only 4 in the last year. So, where are the other 48 foreclosures cited in the report for Vienna?
Foreclosures by County/City and Sub Area
March 1, 2007 - February 29, 2008
County or City Sub Area No. of Foreclosures
Fairfax Vienna 52
Also of interest: “Between March 2007 and March 2008, the average price of an existing home in this Vienna neighborhood dropped 13.5 percent from $813,714 to $704,091. At the same time, sales were down 60.7 percent (28 sales in March 2007 and 11 sales in March 2008”.)
Source: http://www.mwcog.org/uploads/news-documents/CVxc20080618161259.pdf
Posted by: justthefactsmam | June 21, 2008 05:02 PM
Orchard Street? Anyone know which one? Hmmmm ...
Posted by: vienna mommy | June 21, 2008 06:35 PM
Wow, back up. Isn't the zip code 22182 used for post office boxes? Don't get too many foreclosures on post office boxes.
Posted by: Wyltn | June 26, 2008 08:53 PM
Having lived in 22182, I can confirm that it contains much more than P.O. boxes. Perhaps you are thinking of 22183.
Posted by: gridlock | June 27, 2008 08:26 AM