Joshua Hawley
Last week, officers with the Morganton Department of Public Safety responded to a call at Chick-fil-A after a concerned caller reported a young child alone in the parking lot. The child was unclothed, had minor scrapes, and no adult was present.
Officers recognized the child and went to a nearby residence to investigate. After knocking several times, 40-year-old Joshua Hawley answered the door and appeared to have been asleep. Hawley told officers that another juvenile in the home had been responsible for watching the child while he slept. The Burke County Department of Social Services was notified, and a report was filed to help ensure the child’s safety.
On the morning of Tuesday, March 31, detectives with the Morganton Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division returned to the home for a follow-up welfare check. When asked about the child, Hawley told investigators he did not know where the child was and had not seen them since the night before.
Investigators searched the home and surrounding property, eventually locating the child outside near a woodline.
Hawley was taken into custody and charged with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse. He is currently being held under a $75,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 20.
Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY