A 29-year-old mother who put her 11-month-old son in a bucket and gave him to a stranger during a weekend music festival could face criminal and civil penalties.
The mother, from Perham, Minn., gave the child to another female concertgoer at the 10,000 Lakes Festival near Detroit Lakes on Saturday night and walked away, Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon said.
Early Sunday, several hours after sheriff's deputies were notified of the incident, authorities found the mother and interviewed her.
The case has been referred to Becker County Attorney Joe Evans to consider criminal charges.
On Tuesday, Evans said he was waiting for all of the investigative reports before making a decision in the case.
ADVERTISEMENT
Becker County social workers sent reports to the Otter Tail County Attorney's Office for possible civil action addressing child custody issues since the mother lives there, Evans said.
Gordon said a female concertgoer noticed the infant being carried around in a bucket and approached the boy's mother to ask if she needed assistance.
The mother gave the child to the woman and walked away.
The child was wearing a diaper and was covered by a towel at the time, Gordon said, adding the boy was in relatively good shape and did not suffer from exposure.
The boy had "a number of mosquito bites," Gordon said, but he would not say how many.
After accepting the boy from his mother, the concertgoer approached event staff to report what had happened, Gordon said. He would not say how long the woman had the child before reporting the incident.
Gordon wouldn't release the names of the mother or woman who reported the incident to authorities. He also declined to discuss what the mother said after deputies interviewed her.
The sheriff said the two women didn't know each other, and such cases are difficult to hear about.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I don't care how hard you are, it's going to tug at you. It just makes you sad," he said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Olson at (701) 241-5555
