Virginia mom placed on child abuse registry for 7 years after letting 5-year-old walk alone

A Virginia mom is appealing a criminal charge and her placement on the state’s child abuse and neglect registry after her five-year-old son was stopped by security while walking alone through their gated community.

Karyann Parkinson said her son, Sam, had been walking along a familiar neighborhood path past a pond to collect goose feathers when a security guard encountered him and brought him home.

Police and Child Protective Services became involved, and Parkinson, who was eight months pregnant at the time...