Police arrested a woman after a months-long investigation into a child abandonment case in the Village of Penn Yan.
Penn Yan police say officers responded to a village residence in September after a concerned citizen reported a suspicious situation. Inside, officers found a 13-year-old child living alone after being left without supervision for nearly two weeks.
Ashley A. Montgomery, 43, of Syracuse, formerly of Penn Yan, was arrested on an arrest warrant in connection with the case.
Police say Montgomery left the child with two dogs and no money or resources to care for themselves. Investigators determined Montgomery had fled to Syracuse during that time.
Officers found the residence uninhabitable, and Code Enforcement later condemned the home. Child Protective Services assisted at the scene, and officials moved the child to a safe location. Police say the child was unharmed.
Animal Control removed the dogs from the home. Officials later re-homed the animals.
Charges and court action
Police charged Montgomery with abandonment of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief in the second degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, and abandonment of animals.
Investigators presented the case to the Yates County District Attorney’s Office, which led to a grand jury indictment.
Police say Montgomery failed to respond to repeated attempts at contact and could not be located, even with help from other law enforcement agencies. After police recently issued a wanted poster that was widely shared, Montgomery turned herself in at the Penn Yan Police Department.
Officers processed Montgomery at the police department and held her at the Yates County Jail pending arraignment in Yates County Criminal Court.
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