A traffic stop escalated into a child protection incident after a New Berlin police officer arrested two heavily intoxicated adults who left a toddler unbuckled while engaging in questionable activity in a parked car. The officer noticed a car at a park-and-ride with nobody on the front seats and the 18-month-old peeking out from the rear window, then hanging half outside as the car pulled away.
The police officer pulled the car over for running a red light and found the driver half-dressed. while the mother, Alyanya Felts, was slumped in the back seat, drunk.
During questioning, the male Wisconsin driver, who was previously “shirtless with his pants partially down,” admitted to police that he and the child’s mother had been “making out” in the back seat while the toddler was present in the car. He also told the officer he ran the red light as Felts was drunk and he was “trying to take her home.”
The situation deteriorated when a backup officer arrived as the initial officer was writing her report. The situation turned violent when the backup officer witnessed the mom backhanding the toddler in the backseat.
The backup officer said, “Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? She just straight-up backhanded this kid. She just straight-up backhanded that child. You see a mark on him?”
The child immediately started crying; however, just to be completely sure. The officer reviewed his body camera footage to confirm the assault. The child had a visible red welt and mark on his face.
The officers found multiple open bottles of alcohol inside the vehicle. Both adults showed signs of impairment. Subsequent breathalyzer tests administered revealed that the man had a 0.26% blood alcohol level while the mother registered at 0.331%, which is more than four times the legal driving limit in Wisconsin.
Felts faced multiple charges. The charges included physical child abuse, child neglect, and misdemeanor bail jumping. During the arrest, Felt was seen saying, “I need to pee. I’m not trying to abuse. Please. Come on. I’m not trying to be an a**h*le. Come on. I’m not trying to be a d**k. I’m literally just trying to be an a**. Come on.”
The male suspect was charged with child neglect and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Felts was initially released on a $2,500 cash bond with orders to have no contact with the child and no alcohol consumption. Records show Felts later pleaded guilty. A Waukesha County judge sentenced her to 2 years in prison and 3 years of extended supervision.
