Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports that a Lake Peekskill woman is facing a charge of child endangerment.

At about 11:38 a.m. on Thursday, October 12^th, a caller dialed 911 and reported that a toddler–later determined to be a two-year old boy–was seen alone and in his bare feet wandering along Lake Drive in the Lake Peekskill section of Putnam Valley. A woman who lives in the neighborhood saw the boy and stayed with him until Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene.

The deputies could not immediately identify the boy or ascertain where he lived. Sheriff’s investigators and caseworkers from Child Protective Services were dispatched to the scene to assist in the investigation and to care for the child.

At about 1:17 p.m., the mother of the child was located and identified as Ms. Cristina Andrulis, aged 36, of 110 Lake Drive. According to reports, she told authorities that she had been home with the child, put him down for a nap at about 10:30 a.m., and then gone to sleep herself. She said that when she awoke, she realized that he had left the residence and went out to look for him.

Upon further investigation into the circumstances of the case, authorities determined that Ms. Andrulis had allegedly acted in a manner that endangered the physical safety of the child. As a result, she was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor, and was issued an appearance ticket directing her to answer the charge in the Putnam Valley Justice Court.