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Child brandishes pistol while officer investigates woman for child neglect, police say

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A Florida woman is charged with felony child neglect after a police officer interviewing her in the apartment noticed a child handling a loaded handgun.

A Boynton Beach police officer, along with an investigator from the Florida Department of Children and Families were called to a residence to speak with Rosalyn Faniel in regards to allegations of neglecting a child.

Police received complaints that a man is selling drugs from the one-bedroom apartment and that people are in and out of the home at all hours of the night.

While the police officer and DCF investigator was interviewing Faniel in her living room/kitchen area, the officer noticed a child bringing his toys out of the bedroom and into the living room.

While speaking with Faniel, the officer saw the child take a black semi automatic pistol out of a box. The officer immediately went over to the child and pulled the pistol from his hands.

Police say the 9 mm pistol was loaded with one in the chamber and the safety off.

Faniel told police the gun was not hers and that she didn't know the weapon was in the apartment.

After removing the pistol from the house, Boynton Beach police say the officer began to look around the apartment for other possible hazards and located a yellow box of 9 mm ammunition sitting on top of the refrigerator in plain sight.

Also on top of the refrigerator was a black scale and a pink makeup bag which contained six small plastic bags of a white/pink powder, according to police.

A BBPD Crime Scene Tech tested the powder which came back positive as Oxycodone. Police say each plastic bag weighted .1 gram, bringing the total weight to .6 grams. No other hazards were located in the apartment.

Rosalyn Faniel was arrested and charged with child neglect. She also had an active warrant in Palm Beach County relating to a petit theft charge. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.