On May 4, 2024, Irmo Police arrested Frankie Campbell-Provo, (55) and charged her with Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child. Around 7:40 pm, Irmo Officers were called to the Irmo Community Park, located at 7507 Eastview Drive, for an abandoned child. The caller was a concerned citizen who told Officers they brought their grandchild to the park at 6:00 pm. A short time later, they saw their grandchild playing with another child. They became concerned because there did not appear to be an adult or possible guardian around the child. The children played under the supervision of the caller and after an hour passed and there was still no sign of a parent or guardian, they asked the child who was with them at the park. The child told them that they’d been dropped off by their mother but did not know how to get in contact with her. Concerned for the safety of the child, they called the police.
When officers got to the park, they took custody of the child to ensure their safety. The child was able to give them their mother’s name and what she drove. The child, who was under the age of 10, was visibly scared and told officers they were hungry and thirsty. Our officers made sure the child knew they were safe and provided them with food and something to drink.
At 8:20 pm. Officers saw a vehicle matching the description the child gave, drive by, and not stop. Another officer had to perform a traffic stop on the vehicle as the driver was attempting to leave the park. The driver was brought back to where officers were with the child and identified as Campbell-Provo. After being read her Miranda Rights, Campbell-Provo admitted that she was the legal guardian of the child and dropped them off at the park at 6:00 pm, claiming she was going grocery shopping and would be back for the child at 8:00 pm. She acknowledged that the child did not have a cell phone or any means of communication and appeared to not understand the danger she placed the child in.
Campbell-Provo was arrested and charged with Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child for willfully abandoning them, placing them at unreasonable risk of harm affecting their life, physical health, and safety. She was transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center for booking. The child was released into the custody of a family member.
“As a parent, I am disappointed at the situation this child was placed in.” stated Chief Dale. “Anything could’ve happened to them, and they had no way to call for help and no adult there to make sure they were safe. I want to thank the person who called us, they saw something, and most importantly, they said something. I am very proud of our officers for how they responded to the call, how they made sure this child felt safe and for taking swift, appropriate action.”
Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child is a felony and carries up to 10 years in prison.
