Summerville man charged with cruelty to children

Chattooga County Deputies were called out to Lake Wanda Reita Road in Summerville last week due to a complaint from a woman who said a child had wandered into her yard unaccompanied by an adult. The woman said that she knew the child lived next door and that she was between the ages of 2 and 3.

The officer observed the child sitting in the woman’s lap in only a wet diaper with a pink iPad. The woman told officers that she went next door to alert the guardian and that the guardian’s front door was wide open, and the father was asleep on the couch. They tried to wake him up but were unable to. When officers went to the guardian’s house, the door was still wide open, and they saw Lance Gazaway asleep on his couch.

The responding officer had to yell at Gazaway to get him to wake up, and once he did, he was confused and dazed. Gazaway was asked if he knew where his daughter was, and he said she was napping. He was then advised that she was no longer in that residence because she had opened the door and entered the neighbor’s yard.

After talking with Gazaway, the officer noticed a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. They went to the neighbor’s house to get the child from the neighbor, and once they got back to Gazaway’s residence, the officer called Georgia Division of Family & Children Services to let them know of the situation. While on the call, the child’s great-aunt arrived to take the child.

Gazaway was asked about his daughter’s information, but due to his level of intoxication, he was unable to give any information other than the child’s name. Gazaway stated that he had only had a few shots.

Gazaway was then placed under arrest for Cruelty to Children in the first degree. He put the child’s health and well-being in danger because he was intoxicated. The child was then placed into the custody of her great-aunt and taken to a safe location.

The child was not harmed.