A 21-year-old North Charleston woman is facing a charge of unlawful conduct toward a child after police say she drove toward two people outside a convenience store, missed them, and then crashed her vehicle into Grace City Church — with her young child still inside. Aliyah Symone Reese turned herself in at North Charleston City Hall on Tuesday, where she was served with an arrest warrant stemming from the Oct. 27 crash, according to Live 5 News.
North Charleston police responded to Grace City Church on Cosgrove Avenue shortly before noon that day after a vehicle struck the building, according to Live 5 News. Officers arrived to find Reese standing near her car, which had significant front-end damage, with her young child also present at the scene.
Two Conflicting Accounts of What Happened
Reese told officers she had run into the child's father and his new girlfriend at a nearby convenience store, and that the woman spit on her before both people attacked her. She said she fled the altercation, lost control of her vehicle, and crashed into the church wall as a result, as reported by Live 5 News.
But police said surveillance footage from the convenience store and the church told a different story. A police report said the video appeared to show a mutual physical altercation between Reese and the other woman outside the store, rather than Reese being attacked by both people as she described, as noted by Live 5 News.
Footage Reportedly Shows Car Driving Toward the Pair
Investigators said the footage showed the other woman and the child's father walking toward the church after the altercation, at which point Reese got into her vehicle and drove around the corner. An officer who reviewed the footage reported that Reese appeared to drive toward the two people in an attempt to strike them, and the vehicle missed both people but continued into the church, causing what police described as disabling damage to the building, Live 5 News (WCSC) reported Live 5 News.
The vehicle missed both people but continued into the church, causing what police described as disabling damage to the building. Charleston County EMS evaluated Reese's child at the scene, and relatives later took the child to a hospital for further medical treatment, per a report from Live 5 News.
Charge Carries Child-Safety Focus Under State Law
The charge against Reese, unlawful conduct toward a child, falls under a section of the South Carolina Children's Code that makes it unlawful to place a child at unreasonable risk of harm affecting the child's life, physical or mental health, or safety. The statute excerpt does not establish how the law applies specifically to Reese's case or what the outcome of the charge will be.
No information has been released about the condition of the child beyond the EMS evaluation and transport to the hospital for further treatment. The case remains in its early stages following Reese's surrender to authorities this week.
