Inset, left to right: Jawon Whitley and Siniyah Person (Wake County Jail). Background: The building where Whitley and Person's toddler allegedly fell from the third-story balcony (Google Maps).
A 28-year-old man and his 26-year-old wife in North Carolina were arrested after allegedly allowing their 1-year-old son to fall to the ground from the balcony of their third-story apartment.
Jawon Lee Whitley and Siniyah Monchaye Person were taken into custody Tuesday and charged with one count each of felony negligent child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, court records show.
According to court documents filed in Wake County District Court, deputies with the Wake County Sheriff's Office responded around 5 p.m. to an apartment complex in the 4100 block of Chandler Ridge Circle for a report of an injured toddler. Fire department personnel requested a law enforcement check-in after learning that the 1-year-old victim "fell off a balcony," an affidavit states.
When deputies arrived, paramedics were performing lifesaving measures on the child and loading him into an ambulance before taking him to WakeMed Hospital for treatment.
Deputies spoke to an unrelated child playing outside, who said they saw "a small child fall from a balcony."
"The child then went to get their parent who ran to the apartment the small child fell from," the affidavit states. "After knocking at the door for approximately four minutes, an adult opened the door. The adult, identified as Jawon Whitley who is the father, advised their third story balcony door latch is broken, and has been broken for couple months."
Investigators also said that the 1-year-old had "demonstrated being able to open the door in the past."
Speaking to investigators, Whitley allegedly said that he and Person, whom he identified as his wife, left the victim unattended in the living room with three other children, all of whom were under age 10.
"The 1-year-old must have opened the door, climbed on top of items on the balcony, and fallen from the upstairs balcony," the affidavit states.
Deputies at the scene also said they smelled the "strong odor of marijuana" coming from Whitley and Person's apartment. Whitley allegedly confirmed that the couple had marijuana in the home.
According to Whitley's arrest warrant, he and Person were asleep when their son "fell three stories" from the balcony. The warrant also states that the child suffered a fractured pelvis and a punctured lung.
Both parents were arrested and processed at the Wake County Jail. Whitley is being held on a $50,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance Nov. 30.
Person is being held without bond, jail records show. She is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.