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Yovanda Bennafield
Mother charged after sons abducted
On Sunday, June 5th Sommer Pannell (26) walked into a gas station asking the clerk there Yovanda Bennafield to use the phone, stating she needed a ride to North Carolina. Yovanda, offered her a ride after her shift on one condition… she baby-sit her children, ages 6 and 5, until she was off work. Did I mention they were complete strangers? No, yeah the two had literally met right then.
Pannell agreed and Yovanda handed her the keys to her car, where she had left her two boys, and asked that she take the kids to the park. Yes, she not only left her two small children alone in a car for who knows how long while she worked, she also handed them off to complete stranger and allowed her to take the car and the kids. No danger there, of course this complete stranger will return with your car and children safely, right. Wrong!
Pannell, not wanting to wait for her new BFF to get off work, took the kids to the park, alright… a parking lot in North Carolina! Well… Yovanda, how’d that new sitter thing work out for you?
After issuing an Amber Alert for the two boys, police would locate them in their mother’s car, in a church parking lot in North Carolina. Both boys were unharmed. I’d say mom got pretty lucky on that note… I mean seriously who in this day and age just hands their kids off to complete stranger on their word, the kids will be safe.
Anyhow, Yovanda has been charged with two counts of felony child neglect and two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Pannell has been charged with two counts of abduction and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The boys have been placed in the care of a relative.
Considering the stories we read here daily, this one has a happy ending. It’s obvious the potential for this to have turned out far worse was definitely there. No dead babies!
