CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – A Conway couple was arrested in New York after a toddler in the duo’s care reportedly shot himself, according to a police report.
Horry County police were called to a convenience store at the corner of Myrtle Ridge Road and Highway 544 on Thursday, where the store manager told officers that an employee, later identified as Holly Dew, came to the store crying because a 1-year-old boy in her home had shot himself. The manager described to police how Dew claimed that the baby removed a gun from a gun safe and shot himself.
The manager described the baby’s wounds to officers, saying the injuries were below the boy’s diaper, and there were two marks with skin missing on the baby’s lower leg.
Officers went to Dew’s house on Daisy Lane in Conway after obtaining her address through “prior HCPD incident reports,” but no one was home. Officers spoke with neighbors, according to the report, who said they heard loud music all night and a gunshot around 1 a.m. Thursday morning.
Police called Dew, who claimed she was in Myrtle Beach, and requested to meet with her because they needed to verify the child was safe. Dew agreed to meet officers at the Tanger Outlets within 20 minutes of the call but never showed.
The police report notes that investigators believed Dew was traveling to New York with the injured baby, two other children, and her partner, identified as Randi Session. Dew’s information and vehicle description were entered into NCIC and she was later arrested in New York, according to Horry County Police spokesperson Krystal Dotson.
In a press release, New York State Police confirm troopers intercepted a vehicle with Dew, Session and the three children.Troopers patrolling Interstate 81 spotted the vehicle near exit 6 in the town of Chenango. The vehicle was stopped without incident, the release states.
The release from New York officials says the child is 2-years-old, but the Horry County police report notes the age as 1.
New York officials say Dew, 24, and Session, 23, are each charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. The Horry County police say the case remains an active investigation.
Both Dew and Session were arraigned in Chenango Court and were remanded to the Broome County Jail on $2,000 cash bail or $4,000 bond.
The injured child was transported to Wilson Hospital in New York where he is in stable condition, the press release says. Broome County Child Protective Services was contacted and two other children were turned over to CPS.