Parent Of The Year
August 2, 2009
An Alabama woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon after police say she injured a child while dragging it through a store in Rome.
According to Floyd County Jail records:
Melissa Catherine Smith-Means, 37, of Gaylesville, Ala., was arrested by Rome police around 12:30 p.m. She was charged with felony first-degree cruelty to children.
Police say she was observed by customers and employees at a store on Broad Street, dragging a small child around by a backpack leash. The child had visible marks on the neck from the incident.
She remains in jail without bail.
After being arrested she told the police “My young ‘un loves being dragged around on a leash. It’s how I was brought up.”
