Sheriff: Girl Wandered Streets While Mother Was Passed Out

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A 6-year-old girl was crying, hungry, and wandering alone on a Coweta County road in an undeveloped subdivision. Deputies said while this was happening, her mother was passed out.

Nikki West was arrested Sunday night after being found passed out in her vehicle parked in a cul-de-sac by deputies. Sheriff Mike Yeager said beer cans were scattered near the car along the road. Responding firefighters had to shake and yell at West to revive her.

"They asked her where her child was and she said with the father which was not even true. Multiple beer cans laying inside, outside the car, some more later to be found in her purse," said Sheriff Yeager.

Investigators said West admitted she had been drinking. They found 8 additional beers inside her purse. But she lied about where her daughter was.

That's because a passing motorist searching for a new home picked up the 6-year-old and brought her to a local fire station. That prompted authorities to go searching for the girl's mother.

The girl later told investigators the she honked the horn and yelled at her mother, but she couldn't wake her up.

A judge later reduced the charges for West to reckless conduct.

The Division of Family and Children Services is also investigating the incident.