Two accused of child desertion after toddler found walking down La. 14

NEW IBERIA — A father and grandmother are accused of child desertion after a 2-year-old child was found walking on the side of La. 14 on Wednesday afternoon, the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

A woman found the child and brought the boy back to her residence, then went door-to-door trying to find the child’s parents.

After she was unsuccessful, she contacted the Sheriff’s Office, which then also went to nearby homes in search of the parents, Capt. Ryan Turner, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, said in a news release Thursday.

The child was thirsty and had not had his diaper changed for some time, Turner said.

Juvenile detectives contacted the Department of Children and Family Services, which assisted in the investigation, Turner said.

Detectives found the father, Jonathan Penley, 29, and the child’s grandmother, Della Bearb, 68, at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Both were issued summonses for child desertion, Turner said.

The toddler is in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, Turner said.