New York woman accused of abandoning teen daughter at closed gas station in the Poconos

A New York woman is accused of abandoning her teenage daughter at a closed gas station in Pocono Township.

According to the criminal complaint, Tonimarie A. Barrett, 42, of New Rochelle, was visiting her sister in Long Pond with her daughter, 13. After a fight between Barrett and her sister, she and her daughter stopped at a closed gas station at 2756 Route 611, Tannersville, to set up directions around midnight on Nov. 9.

The daughter told police that Barrett requested she hand over her iPad, but she refused due to fears her mother would destroy it. After the daughter refused to hand over the iPad, Barrett threatened to stab her, according to the complaint. The daughter asked to use Barrett’s phone to get directions instead, but Barrett would not hand it over.

The daughter said that Barrett left her there and drove away. The complaint says the daughter said that she stayed at the gas station for several hours before walking to a nearby Turkey Hill, where Pocono Township Police Department responded at 5:17 a.m.

Multiple attempts were made by Cpl. Austin Anglemyer, the complaint’s affiant, to contact Barrett, with no response. Anglemyer was able to contact a different aunt through her local police department, who gave him a contact number for Barrett.

When he reached her, she stated she was at a Penn Jersey gas station in Effort and would come to the department’s headquarters.

According to the complaint, during the interview with police, Barrett said that her sister told them to leave after the argument. They drove for 10 to 15 minutes before pulling into the gas station to set up GPS directions to get home. Barrett said they both left the vehicle to try to get service after what she said was a small verbal argument. When she looked up from her phone, Barrett said, she couldn’t see or find her daughter.

Barrett said that her car needed oil, so she left the gas station and ended up in Effort. She said she did not call police regarding her daughter being missing, nor did she say that she looked for her, according to the complaint.

Barrett was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a third-degree felony; terroristic threats, a first-degree misdemeanor; and recklessly endangering another person, a second-degree misdemeanor.

Max Augugliaro is the public safety and government watchdog reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach him at MAugugliaro@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: New York woman accused of abandoning teen daughter in Monroe County