From the Newsroom: Gatehouse Media

A Fort Walton Beach woman has been charged with felony child neglect after Fort Walton Beach Police Department officers responded to complaints Monday morning that her 2- and 4-year-old children were wandering on Highway Avenue.

That road runs parallel to Eglin Parkway and is separated from the busy roadway by a narrow grass strip.

Amanda Erickson, 25, was sleeping when the children went outside, according to preliminary information from the Police Department.

The investigation revealed this was not an isolated incident, leading to Erickson’s arrest.

The children were placed in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

A local mom is pleading with the public to help her find the driver who left her daughter “for dead on the side of the road.”

Nearly one week after Crestview’s Ashley Richards, 30, was seriously injured by a hit and run, the driver is still on the loose.

“I need the community’s help because too many days are passing,” said Suzanne Wilkins, Richards’ mom. “I don’t know what I did yesterday. I can’t imagine people remember what they did last Wednesday.”

Following the Sept. 25 incident, Richards was taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, where she remains unresponsive and in critical condition, her mom said.

“I would love to know who made the phone call (to local law enforcement) because I am so grateful for them,” she said.

Overwhelmed by the situation that Wilkins described as “pure hell,” she said that her daughter was a local musician who had “made a lot of friends with her singing.

While Richards’ “vital signs are (now) pretty stable,” her injuries included a broken femur, broken arm and “shattered” pelvic bone. Wilkins added that her daughter also fractured “every bone in her face” and was awaiting reconstructive surgery.

People with information can call Pensacola FHP station at 850 484-5000.

See You In The Morning -Daily Savannah Morning News Headlines - October 1, 2019

President Trump and the White House scramble to develop impeachment response strategy 

After more than 20 years, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) has entered its final construction phase, officials announced Monday.

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