Criminal complaint filed against Fall River woman who left blind child in van

SOMERSET — Chief George McNeil reports that the Somerset Police Department has filed a criminal complaint today against a woman who allegedly left a 5-year-old boy inside of a transport van last week.

Susan Dupre, 63, of Fall River had a criminal complaint filed against her Monday at Fall River District Court for Wanton or Reckless Behavior Creating a Risk of Serious Bodily Injury to a Child. A magistrate’s hearing will be held at a later date to determine if there is probable cause to criminally charge Dupre as a result of the alleged incident.

At approximately 4:45 p.m. Monday, May 6, a mother came into the Somerset Police Department to report that the driver of her child’s transport van left the boy in the van instead of dropping him off at his destination earlier in the afternoon.

The subsequent investigation indicates that the boy was picked up from his preschool by a Fisher Bus employee and was supposed to be dropped off at his daycare. When the boy was not dropped off at the daycare, daycare officials called the boy’s mother to ask about his whereabouts.

The boy was found by a manager of the bus company inside of the transport van driven by Dupre. The boy was unharmed and had been left alone in the van for approximately 40 minutes.

In addition to the criminal complaint, last week Somerset Police issued Dupre a civil citation for Failure to Inspect a Vehicle After Transporting Students.

A court date will be determined.