A long-running investigation led to the arrest of a Syracuse woman accused of abandoning a child and animals at a Penn Yan residence.
Ashley A. Montgomery, 43, was arrested Jan. 5 on an outstanding warrant following a grand jury indictment in Yates County.
Police said they responded to a village home in September 2023 after a concerned citizen reported suspicious circumstances. Officers found a 13-year-old child living alone after Montgomery allegedly left nearly two weeks earlier and fled to Syracuse.
Investigators said the home suffered significant damage and was later condemned. Two dogs were also found abandoned and were removed by animal control and re-homed. Police said the child was unharmed and placed in a safe location with help from Child Protective Services.
Montgomery faces felony and misdemeanor charges, including abandonment of a child, criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child, and animal abandonment. She was held at the Yates County Jail pending arraignment.
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