Collier elementary school teacher arrested on charge of child neglect

An Estates Elementary School teacher was arrested Thursday and charged with child neglect.

Three weeks ago, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a small child in pajamas wandering alone near an undisclosed intersection on Everglades Boulevard, according to a Jan. 2 report.

Upon arrival, a LaBelle resident told deputies that he had observed the girl walking in thin sleep-wear on the west side of Everglades Boulevard North. He pulled his truck to the side of the road and picked up the girl, whose age wasn’t released, reports said.

The girl’s face was dirty, as were her training pants, according to reports.

Deputies began going house-to-house and talking to drivers, looking for the girls’ parents.

Then, deputies took the girl to a sheriff’s substation.

Nicole Amanda Newland, 28, of Golden Gate Estates, arrived at the substation and told deputies that when they woke up that day around 10:55 a.m., she began searching for her daughter when she was unable to locate her, reports said.

The case, which came in to the Florida Department of Children and Families earlier this month, is under investigation, said Erin Gillespie, a department spokeswoman.

During the investigation, a judge ordered that Newland’s children be removed from her care, Gillespie said.

Newland was charged with an active warrant of child neglect without great bodily harm on Thursday, according to reports.

Information wasn’t available Friday from the Collier County School District regarding Newland’s current job status.