Frederick Ryan, Chief of Police
112 Mystic St.
Arlington, MA 02474
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016
Contact: Captain Richard Flynn, PIO
Office: 781-316-3907
Cell: 781-844-1224
Email: rflynn@town.arlington.ma.us
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Arlington Police Charge Babysitter for Reckless Endangerment of a Child
Suspect Was Hired via Popular Babysitting Website
ARLINGTON — Chief Frederick Ryan reports that the Arlington Police Department is charging a woman with reckless endangerment of a child after police found her stumbling around a neighborhood, drunk and high, while she was watching a young boy.
SUSAN M. DEVEREAUX, AGE 51, OF MEDFORD, is known to police.
On Wednesday, shortly after 1:30 p.m., police were called to Egerton Road after a resident noticed a woman stumbling around the roadway with a 3-year-old boy in tow. Upon arrival, officers located DEVEREAUX as she tried to enter a home on Egerton. The first arriving officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from her, and after a conversation, the officer learned that she was the child’s babysitter and she was attempting to enter the wrong house.
Police were able to contact the boy’s mother, who lives on the street, to reunite her with her son. The mother told police that she first hired DEVEREAUX in the springtime by using Care.com, a website that specializes in matching customers with babysitters and caregivers. The mother also told police that they had used DEVEREAUX several times both through Care.com and later by reaching out and paying her directly.
Arlington Police detectives will be consulting with Care.com management about this incident.
It was determined that DEVEREAUX consumed multiple alcoholic beverages and had taken prescription drugs earlier in the day.
Chief Ryan is urging all residents to take extra care when hiring a babysitter or searching online for a caregiver for loved ones.
“I urge everyone to take all possible extra steps you can take while screening a potential babysitter or caregiver. A reference or a website’s background check should only be one component of a larger vetting process,” Chief Ryan said. “Never rely solely on one reference or a single report.”
The Arlington Police Department filed a mandatory report with the Department of Children and Families, and after consulting with DCF, the decision was made to file charges.
“We commend the caller who reported this dangerous situation,” Chief Ryan said. “What matters most is that the young child was not harmed.”
DEVEREAUX will be arraigned at a later date in Cambridge District Court.
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