WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — A mother has been indicted on one count of child endangerment/abandonment after police said she abandoned her 12-year-old son dressed in pajama pants and a light hoodie at the mall last January.

Angela King is free on a $20,000 bond as she awaits trial. Police opened the child abandonment case after they and firefighters responded to a fire at Arbor Creek Apartments on Weeks Park Lane in early January.

At the scene, firefighters located the source of smoke in an apartment and found King unresponsive. She was taken to a Dallas hospital for treatment.

Investigators said she had placed her and her son’s belongings inside the fireplace, closed the damper, and set them on fire. They also found empty pill bottles inside the apartment.

While trying to locate the son, police learned she had dropped him off at the mall the night before. The boy was found staying with other family members.

He told police his mother became angry the night before after overhearing him talking to his sister in Vernon on the phone. He had called to tell her about wanting to leave the apartment and asked if Child Protective Services should be called.

He said his mother packed his suitcases and dropped him off at the mall with no phone. Police said the boy sat at a bus stop in the cold until family members arrived and found him.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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