Two boys playing at the Vaca Pena Middle School at 200 Keith Way saw the woman carrying the baby then leaving the area without it shortly before 6:30 p.m., Sgt. Charlie Spruill said this morning.
One boy stayed with the baby, who was wrapped in a blanket, and the other went home to notify his parents, who called police, Spruill said. Police found the woman, Brittaney Vonnett-Quewon Owens, walking about a mile from the school.
She was arrested for deserting a child under age 14, failure to maintain a child under age 14, child endangerment and a probation violation, Spruill said. She was booked into the Solano County jail.
Owens will have a mental health examination at the jail and police have asked the county probation department to investigate her medical history, Spruill said. Owens was on probation for an assault and battery unrelated to the infant, he said.
Owens has two other children who are in the custody of their father, who is not the father of the 9-day-old boy, Spruill said.
Owens is from Fairfield and was living with a friend in Vacaville, Spruill said. She lives two blocks from a hospital and three blocks from a fire station where she could have safely dropped off the infant, Spruill said.
Owens refused to respond when she was asked why she didn't do so, Spruill said. She did not leave any food, diapers or a note with the baby, he said.
The baby was examined at Vaca Valley Hospital and was found to be in relatively good health, Spruill said. The infant was placed in the custody of Solano County Welfare Services.
"Thanks to those boys and concerned citizens, we had a successful outcome," Spruill said.
