STAFF REPORT :::
Officers of the Griffin Police Department Uniform Patrol Division recovered an infant that had been abandoned behind a local motel following an alleged attempt to pass a fraudulent check.
According to a press release issued by the GPD, the incident occurred Feb. 22, and began with a report from Sky Check Cashing located at 701 W. Taylor St.
Officials say Tionna Pugh, age 18, attempted to cash a fraudulent check at that business, and that a second suspect, Omisha Sands, age 20, fled and was pursued by a Sky Check Cashing employee.
Sands was apprehended at Hill’s Tire, also located on Taylor St.
Pugh was also arrested at the original scene.
Police say Sands stated she had left her seven-month-old son in a vehicle with two male accomplices, who sped off with the baby when she fled Sky Check Cashing.
Both Sands and Pugh denied knowing the identity of the two male accomplices.
The baby boy was later discovered by the motel clerk at the Comfort Inn and Suites after an anonymous caller contacted the motel and said an infant had been left behind the building.
Motel staff located the baby behind the motel, where he was had abandoned in a car seat in the rain.
Emergency Medical Services evaluated the infant for injuries or health concerns, and once cleared, was turned over to the Department of Family and Children Services.
Sands has been charged with second degree forgery, cruelty to children and reckless conduct.
Pugh has been charged with second degree forgery.
Both women were transported to the Spalding County Jail.