Probation Officer Saves Infant From Sweltering Home

HYANNIS (CBS) - A Barnstable Juvenile Probation Officer is being praised after she discovered a five week old baby boy home alone in a hot apartment and called police.

Officer Julie Hall made an unannounced visit to a client in Hyannis on July 11. When she arrived, she heard a baby crying inside and his mother was nowhere to be found.

"I had another visit in the area and I thought I would check on the mom. I've had difficulty with her in the past. She also had an outstanding warrant I wanted her to clear up," said Hall who supervises the mother.

Hall discovered that all of the windows were shut to the apartment and the air conditioning unit was off. Then, she called police and her supervisor to the scene.

According to Hall, first responders broke into the home and found the little boy in a sweltering apartment soaked in urine.

"I immediately picked him up and was just relieved that he was OK. He stopped crying immediately. But, I could feel how warm he was. He had two outfits on and some blankets over him," Hall said.

The mother returned home while officers were on scene. She was arrested and charged with Child Endangerment.

This incident is the latest in an uptick in child abuse and neglect cases across the state that probation officers are attributing to the opioid epidemic. There were 661 cases in Barnstable County in July.