Inset: Tonimarie Barrett (Pocono Township Police Dept.). Background: The Turkey Hill where police said they found Barrett's daughter hours after she allegedly abandoned the child (Google Maps).
A 42-year-old mother from New York was arrested after she allegedly threatened to stab her 13-year-old daughter before abandoning the child at a closed convenience store in Pennsylvania.
Tonimarie A. Barrett was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count each of felony endangering the welfare of a child, making terroristic threats, and recklessly endangering another person, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Pocono Township Police Department, at about 5:19 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to a call regarding an abandoned child at a Turkey Hill convenience store in the 2700 block of Route 611 in Tannersville, Pennsylvania. First responders arrived at the establishment and located the child.
Investigators learned that the child and her mother, whom they identified as Barrett, had left a residence in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at around midnight to drive back to their home in New Rochelle, New York, which is about a 114-mile trip east.
During the trip, authorities say Barrett stopped at a "closed gas station" so she could plug their destination into a GPS and get directions home. During the stop, tensions between Barrett and her daughter escalated, leading to a quarrel.
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"A small argument ensued with the juvenile and they both exited the vehicle, during which time Barrett threatened to stab the juvenile," police wrote in the release. "Barrett then proceeded to leave the juvenile at the closed business and drove to a gas station in Effort, [Pennsylvania], where she remained until police contacted her after 0700 hours."
Effort is about 10 miles southwest of the Turkey Hill location.
A copy of the criminal complaint was obtained by the Pocono Record, which provided some additional details about the fight between Barrett and her daughter.
According to the report, the daughter told police that while at the gas station, her mother demanded that she hand over her iPad. The teen refused because she believed her mother would destroy the device. After being refused the iPad, Barrett allegedly threatened to stab her daughter if the teen did not give her the device, which she did.
Barrett's daughter also reportedly mentioned that she asked Barrett if she could use her cellphone to get directions, but Barrett refused.
The teen then got out of the car and Barrett allegedly drove away. She eventually walked to the Turkey Hill location after staying at the closed gas station for a few hours, the complaint says.
When officers located Barrett, they said she admitted that she "did not attempt to look for the juvenile" after leaving her in Turkey Hill and did not contact authorities to report her missing.
She reportedly told police that after her daughter got out of the car at the closed gas station, Barrett couldn't find her. Barrett then realized her car needed oil, which is when she decided to leave and wound up in Effort.
After placing her under arrest, police transported Barrett to the Monroe County Correctional Facility where she is awaiting her arraignment before a district magistrate.