Yes. It happened again. [Please use the lines below the first picture to see the other 7 pictures]

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On April 15, 2025, about 9:15 p.m., Alexandra Woodward, a divorced mom, left her quiet home in Calhoun, Georgia. Her two boys, ages 10 (4th grade) and almost 9 (3rd grade), are home with the family dogs. She went to her storage unit expecting to be gone a few hours, yes, but the children are safe and, because she knows her children, she believed they were not at risk of any harm. (If you are concerned for their safety because "something could happen" then please visit Let Grow Crime Statistics and also read Child Safety Myths, as you might be more at ease about your children and about Alexandra's children).

That evening, the 10-year-old asked if he could cook dinner, and he cooked and served dinner. The boys knew she was going to the storage unit, and they asked her to bring back their baseball gear and some other items. The boys were tucked into bed and were at ease with her leaving. Their house features both indoor and outdoor video cameras. The boys also have a cell phone and know how to reach their Mom and their Dad (divorced parents).

At midnight, immediately when exiting her vehicle in front of her home, no conversation - not a word, the police handcuffed her, put her in the back of a police vehicle, took her to jail where she was booked, fingerprints taken, had her mug shot taken, and waited for 2 days until her bond was set at $20,000. Why such a large bond? Because she was charged with two counts of First Degree Cruelty to Children. She faces a minimum of 5 years up to 20 years in prison. What happened to those boys?

Nothing. We watched the body cam videos. We read the incident report. The boys were unharmed, as the picture taken from the body cam video reveals (see picture above). On the body cam audio, the police officers are heard confirming they were fine. The incident report also states the boys were not injured.

First Degree Cruelty to Children:
A parent, guardian or other person supervising the welfare of or having immediate charge or custody of a child under the age of 18 commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person willfully deprives the child of necessary sustenance to the extent that the child's health or well-being is jeopardized.

Any person commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person maliciously causes a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain.

O.C.G.A. 16-5-70(a) and (b)(emphasis added).

The father either called the boys (which is fine, of course) or the boys called their father (which also is fine, of course), and he learned they were alone, unharmed, but that their mother was not home. The father called 911 (we listened to the audio file of this call), only asking for a "welfare check" and not suggesting the boys were hurt or would be hurt simply because they were home without an adult in the house.

A week later, on April 22, 2025, the father had his attorney file a modification action, based SOLELY on this incident and arrest, to change custody of the children to him (which would result in him no longer paying child support to the mother).

Since that night, the children have been with their father, and he will not allow them to talk with their mother without him "supervising" the phone calls and will not permit video calls. He is refusing to comply with the Parenting Plan Order from their divorce. The boys were not allowed to spend any time with their Mom on Mother's Day. The father was with the boys when they called their Mom and had a 3-minute awkward phone call. Alexandra and these boys did not have a "Happy Mother's Day."

ParentsUSA scheduled a court hearing for May 22, 2025, as we seek early court intervention. The children should be protected from their father's effort to turn their time at home that evening unsupervised for a few hours into a complete upheaval, with what appears to be his intentional attempt to distance them from their mother.

According to the bodycam videos, three police vehicles and five police officers were present. There was never an attempt to obtain a search warrant to enter the house, although the police walked in as if they had one, nor was there any effort to secure an arrest warrant before handcuffing and taking Alexandra to jail.

Remember Brittany Patterson, the North Georgia Mom arrested? The Deputies in that situation at least applied for an arrest warrant before arresting her, using the misdemeanor "Reckless Conduct" statute, and a magistrate judge signed off on the arrest warrant application (although, in our opinion, he should not have). Those Deputies returned five hours later and arrested Brittany.

Is it a crime in Georgia for a child to be alone in a home? No.
Are there DFCS (Division of Family & Children Services) rules that the violation of which is a crime? No.

There are DFCS Guidelines "regarding the age at which children may be left unsupervised." At home, at a park, out in the woods, anywhere "unsupervised." These Guidelines suggest that between 9 and 12 (the older child is 10 and the younger child turns 9 later in May), "based on level of maturity, may be left alone for brief (less than two hours) periods of time[.]" Violation of the DFCS guidelines is not a crime.

Does DFCS know her children (or your children)? No. Are all children alike in terms of judgment and their ability to get water if they are thirsty, get a snack if they are hungry, work on homework without supervision (O.K., homework may be a challenge for many children to do without supervision!), or be home alone (or at the park alone)? No. Which is why these are Guidelines and not law.

This is yet another instance when law enforcement injects and substitutes its judgment about what parents can and cannot do, resulting in an arrest simply because they can do so! With the children unharmed, the question of the day is:

Why the 1st Degree Cruelty to Children criminal charge, a charge that does not remotely fit the facts, when the city police can be heard confirming the children are fine and they are not hurt or harmed?

Should this matter? The evidence presented includes two photographs: (1) an opened can of Twisted Tea (yes, an alcoholic beverage, but we believe (a) it was empty and (b) parents should not be obligated to empty their refrigerators and liquor cabinets whenever they leave a child home alone, and (2) a vape pen on a table (a) it was only nicotine and (b) parents should not be required to remove any opened or unopened packs of cigarettes or cigars, vape pens, kitchen knives, sharp objects, or cleaning supplies under the sink when their children are 10 and nearly 9 years old.

Again, another mother arrested with handcuffs, fingerprinting, mug shot, stripping down and changing into jail clothing, because one or more persons in law enforcement claim it is SO dangerous to let children be at their own home without a parent watching every second.

When ParentsUSA asked the District Attorney for Gordon County to "consider the immediate withdrawal of the warrants, an apology, and a public exoneration," his response on April 26, 2025, was:

I can assure you we will follow the evidence and the law. I don’t know the whole picture yet, so please give us some time to gather all evidence.

Erle J. Newton III, District Attorney, Cherokee Judicial Circuit, Gordon County Division, 101 S. Piedmont Street, Suite 9, Calhoun, Ga. 30701 P:706-629-XXXX

ParentsUSA took under one hour to listen to the 911 call (and other audio, including the exchange between the DFCS worker and a police officer), watch the bodycam videos, read the incident report, examine the two photographs, and review the statute. We are 100% of the opinion that Alexandra did not commit a crime and certainly not "First Degree Cruelty to Children."

On May 19, 2025, ParentsUSA reminded the District Attorney of his April 26, 2025, email and that he has had more than sufficient time to "gather all the evidence[ ]" and make the right decision.

This is yet another situation where a child who is not supervised at all times leads to the arrest and criminal charges being brought against a parent.

ParentsUSA will use its limited resources to defend Alexandra against these criminal charges and to push back against DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services) efforts to impose a "Safety Plan" that includes assessments unrelated to children being home unsupervised. Only parents should decide the level of supervision for their children, unless, as per the US Supreme Court, it is necessary for the government to intervene to protect children from actual harm, not just something that could happen or might happen.

ParentsUSA represents parents directly, advises and counsels their private attorneys, appeals adverse outcomes, and files amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) briefs in the appellate courts, including the US Supreme Court. 

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National Association of Parents, Inc. dba ParentsUSA, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to being the collective voice of parents across the USA. Our mission is to preserve and support the parent-child relationship, empowering parents to make decisions for their children without undue interference, as long as the child is not harmed. We achieve this through strategic litigation, education, and lobbying—and your support is crucial in this endeavor. ParentsUSA proudly earned Candid f/k/a GuideStar's Gold Seal of Transparency.