Corbin man and woman arrested after young child found naked in road

JONES

LESTER

A Corbin man and woman were arrested Wednesday after a young child was reportedly found nude and alone in the middle of a street.

The child was seen by a nearby neighbor along Oak Grove School Road, who contacted police due to the child being in the middle of the road and naked with no adult around, according to an arrest citation obtained from the Whitley County Clerk’s office. The neighbor stated the child, who was 2 years old, showed them where they lived and they went to the residence.

The neighbor attempted to knock on the door when the child went into the home, put on clothes and returned outside.

The arrest citation stated that when police arrived at the residence the neighbor and child were in the driveway of the home. When police entered the home, the residence was allegedly “disgusting,” the citation claimed, with trash strewn about and a strong odor of dog urine.

Police found the child’s parents in a back bedroom asleep. According to the citation, the man and woman, identified as Brayden Jones, 21, and Jaelynn Lester, 23, stated they had gone to bed late and were asleep at the time the child got out of the home. They allegedly said they did not know the child had gotten outside until they were woken up by police.

The citation noted that the home is only approximately 20 yards away from the road and that approximately 40 cars drove by within an hour of police being at the residence.

Jones and Lester were arrested and charged with second-degree criminal abuse – child 12 or under and endangering the welfare of a minor.

Police contacted the Department of Community-Based Services and placed the child with them.

Lester currently remains jailed in the Whitley County Detention Center. Online jail records show that Jones was released Thursday afternoon.