ROCKLAND — A Rockland woman who was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after police found her 3-year-old son lying in a drainage ditch near a culvert in April, has pleaded guilty as part of a deferred disposition agreement reached Oct. 27.

Mandy Dennison, 27, was arrested April 23 by Rockland police and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs.

The terms of the deferred disposition are for 12 months. They include that Dennison must comply with all of her bail conditions, complete successful psychological counseling and abide by all orders and recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services. Dennison has been working with DHHS on monitored visitations with her son since her arrest, according to the court document.

If Dennison complies with the agreement for one year, she will be required to pay two separate fines totaling $900 for the charges of violating a condition of release and unlawful possession of a scheduled drug. The additional charge of endangering the welfare of a child will be dismissed and she will not face jail time. If she does not adhere to the conditions of the deferred disposition, she will face open sentencing on all charges.

The deferred disposition was approved by Judge Susan Sparaco in Knox County Unified Court.

Dennison was arrested April 23 when Rockland Officer Andrew Redden responded to a call from a citizen who said he had found a child in a drainage ditch, according to a news release from the Rockland Police Department. Officer Andrew Redden found a 3-year-old boy who was unable to tell them where he lived, only that he had been watching Scooby Doo at home. Redden also noticed that the boy had pink nail polish on his skin.

The citizen who had reported the incident to police said that he had tried to locate the child’s mother at two different apartment complexes and did find one nearby apartment with its front door wide open and Scooby Doo playing on the television inside.

Redden located the apartment and discovered pink nail polish on the entryway floor. After knocking on the door and not receiving a response, Redden entered the apartment and found Dennison sleeping on a mattress. Police said they were unable to wake Dennison at first, but when they did she did not know where her son was. She appeared to be under the influence of drugs and police found clonazepam, a sedative for which she did not have a prescription for in her possession, according to the police report.

Dennison was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a scheduled drug. The 3-year-old's grandmother came to the apartment to pick him up.

The evening after the boy was found, Officer Alex Gaylor conducted a bail check on Dennison at her apartment to verify that she was in compliance with the conditions of her release. Police found that she was in possession of a different medication, also without a prescription. She was arrested again and charged with violating a condition of release and unlawful possession of a scheduled drug.

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com.