SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – A Virginia couple was arrested after investigators said they rode on a moped with their infant positioned between them. Athena Colon, 24, and Cane Hartwick, Jr., 26, both of Spotsylvania, were charged with two counts of felony child neglect.
The incident that led to their arrests began around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.
“The Emergency Communication Center began receiving calls about a very young child riding as a passenger on a moped in the area of Plank Road and Salem Church Road,” a Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said. “Deputies were able to catch up to the moped in the area of Lookout Terrace Apartments, where they identified the male driver of the moped as Cane Hartwick, Jr. and the female rear passenger as Athena Colon. Deputies soon discovered that their 5-month-old child had been positioned between them on the moped while travelling on the highway.”
The child was taken from the couple and treated at the hospital for a severe rash on his upper torso, investigators said.
Investigators have not released additional information about the child’s health, nor whether he was released to the care of other family members.
