FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Monday, April 20th, 2015
Four Year Old Child Saved by Quick Thinking Repairmen After Child is Accidentally Hung
Sheriff Mitch Ralston Reports:
At about 9 a.m. Friday morning, April 17th, deputy sheriffs and other emergency personnel were dispatched to a mobile home park on Hensley Road in unincorporated (southern) Gordon County in response to a report of a small child having been badly injured. Deputies and detectives arrived and found that a 4 year old girl had been discovered hanging by her neck inside the home. The 2 men who discovered the child were plumber/electricians who’d been contracted to perform repairs at the trailer. Detectives report that upon the electricians going to the door, they were admitted by a 5 year old boy who was yelling that his sister was in distress. They rushed inside to find the child hanging from a (neck) scarf in a hallway. They said that they quickly removed the child from the scarf which was wrapped around her neck and called 911. While one of the men stayed on the telephone with the 911 operator who gave instructions, the other performed CPR until the arrival of emergency medical personnel. The child was taken to T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee for treatment.
Meanwhile, Sheriff’s detectives and a special agent/crime scene specialist from the local office office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) initiated an investigation into the events leading up to the child’s injury. The child’s step-mother, Darlene Michele Andrews, age 36, of Lot 16, 207 Hensley Road, Adairsville (Gordon County) Georgia was arrested by Sheriff’s detectives that same afternoon and charged with 2 counts of Cruelty to Children. She is still in jail at this time pending bond proceedings and/or additional charges. Investigating detectives preliminarily believe that the child accidentally became entangled in the scarf, which had been fashioned into a makeshift swing, when the defendant left the children alone in the home to visit a neighbor.
In what some are calling a “miraculous” development, the child, who was unresponsive at the scene, was awake and alert within a few hours of arriving at Erlanger. The 4 year old was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon into DFCS custody. The 5 year old (brother) has been taken into state custody as well.
“The instantaneous response, and the calmness and presence of mind of the two men who rescued the little girl and performed CPR on her undoubtedly saved her life. It’s difficult to express the gratitude due to these men for their actions on Friday morning. These two men, from an ordinary walk of life here, are true heroes. I speak often of how Calhoun /Gordon County is, in spite of our growth, still a small and close knit community, and the rescue of this little girl epitomizes just how good and caring the great majority of our citizens are. I also want to recognize and commend the 911 operator who gave the CPR instructions over the telephone. These operators often participate in emergencies which are successfully resolved and they are never recognized. These three heroes truly deserve our gratitude and our respect. My staff and I prayed Friday for the complete recovery of the little girl, and I believe that the Lord heard our prayers.”, said Sheriff Mitch Ralston
UPDATE: Friday, May 1st, 2015: Yesterday, Thursday, April 30th, Sheriff’s detectives arrested Michael D. Andrews Sr. age 33, of 207 Hensley Road, in connection with the incident on April 20th, wherein his 4 year old child was found hanging inside their mobile home by two repairmen who are credited with saving the child’s life. The stepmother, Darlene Michele Andrews, was arrested that same day and has remained in jail. Michael D. Andrews has been charged with 2 counts of Reckless Conduct. Andrews appeared before a Magistrate this morning where bond was set at $10,000.