A woman who failed to send her elementary age child to school repeatedly has been charged with child abuse, neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Annette Nicole Recker, 27, was arrested Saturday night after being picked up on a warrant.
According to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Recker’s child is enrolled in a local school, but missed 35 days in 2009-10, 47 days in 2010-11, plus 59 full days and 12 partial days in 2011-12. The child was withdrawn on two occasions when Recker said she was moving to other states, then returned within a short time with no evidence of attending school regularly while away. After repeated absences and the child falling asleep in class, plus struggling with school work, parent meetings were set. Recker failed to show on repeated occasions and the case wound up in Truancy Court before Judge Kevin Grover March 23.
Recker told Judge Grover transportation was an issue since she shared a car and couldn’t always drive her child when the bus was missed. School officials told the judge the bus driver went so far as to blow the horn to alert the family the bus would be coming back shortly for pick up, yet Recker still failed to have her child ready for school. School Resource Officer Randy McCroan and Truancy Officer Tony Shoemake even made several trips to the family’s home to pick up the child. A guidance counselor encouraged the child with a reward system for riding the bus. Still, truancy problems continued.
Another court date was set for May 3, but Recker failed to appear. Judge Grover directed school officials to seek a warrant for Recker’s arrest from the state attorney’s office.
Authorities caught up with Recker over the weekend after she called for a deputy to come to her home, alleging a man living in the residence was threatening her children and refused to leave. Dep. Bobby Sims responded and Recker said her children had found hypodermic needles around the residence and alleged the man was poking the kids with them, but they had no marks from the needles.
The man denied Recker’s accusations and said he had never been asked to leave the residence. Dep. Sims then asked Recker and another woman in the home if they had asked him to leave, but they both said they had not. The man gathered his belongings and left.
While on the call, Dep. Sims learned that Recker had an outstanding warrant on the child abuse charges. Another woman in the home, Tina Louise Morrow, was apprehended on an outstanding warrant from Mobile County, Alabama.
Recker is being held in the Calhoun County Jail on a $3000 bond.
