A local woman faces charges of child abuse and neglect for allegedly taking her children into the woods in 27-degree weather in an attempt to elude deputies on Christmas Eve morning.
Elizabeth Rochelle Bradshaw, 30 was arrested on Dec. 24 after a nearly six-hour search.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray,  Bradshaw, who was at the Hall’s Hollow Road home of her children’s grandmother with the children’s father, Royce Dwayne McCrary, learned that deputies were on their way to the residence in response to reports of a domestic dispute.
She then allegedly took the children, a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, and fled on foot into the wooded area surrounding the home.
The incident reportedly began around 1:30 a.m., when deputies dispatched to investigate the domestic call were informed by family members that Bradshaw had taken the children into the woods.
Ray said his deputies initiated a search, and soon found the girl hiding behind a tree. According to the sheriff, she told officers that when her mother saw the patrol cars coming into the driveway, Bradshaw ran away with the boy in her arms, leaving her behind.
The girl was taken back to her grandmother’s home, but Bradshaw allegedly took the four-year-old and ran up a steep, heavily wooded hillside and fled.
The DeKalb County Rescue Squad was called out, and a ground search for the woman and child began. A Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter provided aerial support.
The two were finally located just after sunrise, around 7:30 a.m.
Ray said the helicopter spotted Bradshaw and the small child sitting on a wooded hillside. Deputies and rescue squad members reached their location, took the child to safety, and Bradshaw was placed under arrest.
Ray said that the child was wearing a hoodie, but with temperatures dipping to 27 degrees, searchers feared for the youngster’s safety after hours of exposure to the cold.
The mother and child were treated by DeKalb EMS at the scene, and authorities said Bradshaw complained of a knee injury. Both were transported to DeKalb community Hospital for treatment.
The sheriff said child protective services was called in, and took custody of both children.
Bradshaw’s bond was set at $20,000 bond on the two child abuse and neglect charges. She is also under a $250 cash bond for a violation of probation charge, which she was wanted for before the incident. She will appear in court on Jan. 9.
McCrary, the father of the children, was also arrested on two violation of probation warrants. He is being held without bond.