A harrowing scene of alleged child abuse at a Tennessee grocery store was captured on video and has led to the arrest of a 25-year-old woman. According to a social media post by the Covington Police Department, the incident, which took place at Cash Savers on Highway 51, was reported by a concerned citizen on Thursday.
Store management confirmed to detectives that the troubling event occurred on Wednesday, around 6:20 PM, when a female later identified as Lashona Johnson was seen aggressively pulling and hitting her toddler after leaving him unattended at the service desk. After broadcasting the child's situation through the store's intercom system, a store employee was confronted by Johnson, who warned, “You know I’m going to beat your ass, right,” directed towards the toddler. Detectives obtained video surveillance that corroborated the witness accounts, per the Covington Police Department.
The Department of Children Services (DCS) got involved following the Covington Police's review. Johnson, a resident of Rivers Street in Dyersburg, TN, admitted to being the individual in the footage during an interview at the Criminal Investigations Division (CID). "I am so thankful that a citizen and the witnesses reported this incident. It is a troubling video to watch. It was absolutely the right call to say something and report the incident,” remarked Chief Donna Turner, as cited by the Covington Police Department. The two-year-old child was subsequently released to his father's care.
Further actions led to Johnson's arrest on charges of Child Abuse and Neglect, with her bond set at $50,000.00. Next Tuesday, she will face a court appearance before Judge M.O. Eckel, III, in Tipton County General Sessions Court. CID and DCS continue their investigation into the child's welfare and the family dynamics to ascertain the necessity of further services and deter repeat occurrences of such conduct.
