Green Bay Police Officer Recognized for Quick Actions in Suspected Child Neglect Case

Officer Kendal Herwald was on patrol assisting in the search for a driver who fled on foot during a traffic stop, when he came upon a non-verbal 6-year-old male in the Pine Street parking ramp around midnight on Saturday, January 7th, 2023. Officer Herwald brought the child to his squad car, to get him out of the cold, with a recorded temperature of 20-degrees, and back to the Police Department where he accessed the Department’s record’s management system to ID the child.

Once the boy’s address was found, officers were dispatched to the child’s home to speak with the mother, and found a 4-year-old sibling left home alone.

Police were able to contact the 25-year-old mother, who was at a bar and claimed that she had left the children with a babysitter. The alleged babysitter, when interviewed, told officers, she was never contacted. As a result, the mother was jailed on two charges of neglecting a child and a probation violation.

“This could’ve ended in tragedy. We must recognize our officer’s quick actions on the matter and the work by our crime analysis division to identify non-verbal residents when reported to the Green Bay Police by their family members. This resource has proven to be very useful related to this most recent incident,” said Green Bay Police Commander Kevin Warych.

If you have a non-verbal family member, please feel free to contact our non-emergency number at (920) 448-3200 and ask to speak with someone who can put that person in our database. The Brown County Public Safety Communications Center also has a form on the Brown County website at https://www.browncountywi.gov/, which can be accessed by clicking on the Government section, then Forms & Documents, and searching for Special Needs Alert.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to call Green Bay Police at (920) 448-3200 and reference case #23-201040. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime stoppers at (920) 432-STOP (7867). You may also submit a tip online at www.432stop.com, or utilize the “P3 Tips” app for crime tips.