Mother of boy, 4, left on Beltway sent to jail

The woman charged with abandoning her toddler on the side of the Capital Beltway is cooling her heels in the Fairfax County jail.

Channoah Alece Green, 22, was scheduled to appear in court yesterday on charges of felony child neglect and hit and run, but officials said she was transferred too late from a regional jail in Hanover.

Miss Green is scheduled to appear at 9 a.m. today in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court to be arraigned on the felony charges.

Virginia State Police said Miss Green, of Newport News, Va., left her 4-year-old son on the side of the Beltway near Falls Church at about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Police said that as the boy tried to get back into the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, his mother bumped him with the car and knocked him down as she drove away, leading to the hit-and-run charge.

A driver who asked not to be identified found the boy on the interstate near the Lee Highway overpass and told WJLA-TV (Channel 7) that the toddler jumped into her husband’s arms.

“I said, ‘Why are you out here?’ And he said, ‘My mommy left me. She was angry and she pushed me out of the car,’ ” the woman said.

Police would not comment specifically on why Miss Green left the boy.

“That’s still part of the investigation is determining the cause of her actions,” state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. “At this point, we know she had gotten upset with the boy.”

The child was treated for cuts and bruises at Inova Fairfax Hospital before being turned over to Fairfax County Child Protective Services. He has been placed in a temporary foster home.

Police found Miss Green after she was involved in an accident near Richmond at about 11:30 p.m. State police spokesman Sgt. Kevin Barrick said Miss Green was driving southbound on Interstate 95 in the center lane when her vehicle swerved to the left, struck a guardrail and then struck a 2001 Toyota Camry just north of Route 802. Both drivers were treated for minor injuries.

“Her statement to the trooper was she fell asleep and hadn’t slept for three days,” Sgt. Barrick said. “Basically, we didn’t realize there was a connection [with the child] until the trooper went to the hospital to interview Miss Green, and she indicated she had just dropped her son off on the side of the interstate. He didn’t really know whether to believe it or not.”

Miss Green was charged with reckless driving. Sgt. Barrick said the trooper issued a statewide alert about the child, and police in Fairfax County responded that they had found him.

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.