A Tennessee mother is facing felony charges after allegedly assaulting her two-year-old son inside a local grocery store, an incident captured on video surveillance and reported by a concerned citizen.
Lashona Johnson, 25, of Dyersburg, Tennessee, was arrested and charged with Child Abuse and Neglect following an investigation by the Covington Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID).
The investigation began on Thursday, October 2, 2025, when a caller reported a possible child abuse incident witnessed the previous day at the Cash Savers located at 951 Hwy 51 in Covington.
Detectives quickly confirmed the incident with the store manager, who stated it occurred around 6:20 PM on Wednesday, October 1. According to the manager, a toddler had been left alone at the service desk. Store employees broadcast an announcement over the intercom about the unattended child.
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Approximately ten minutes later, a female, later identified as Johnson, approached the desk. Witnesses and video surveillance confirmed that Johnson allegedly told the child, “You know I’m going to beat your a*s, right,” before aggressively pulling the toddler from the desk.
She then allegedly dragged the child to the checkout line and repeatedly struck him on the back.
CID Analysts used the collected video footage to identify the suspect as Johnson and the toddler as her two-year-old son.
Johnson was interviewed by the CID and admitted to being the woman in the video. The Department of Children Services (DCS) was contacted and is continuing its investigation into the welfare of the family. The two-year-old was released into the care of his father.
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Chief Donna Turner commended the quick actions of both the reporting citizen and her department.
“I am so thankful that a citizen and the witnesses reported this incident. It is a troubling video to watch. It was absolutely the right call to say something and report the incident,” said Chief Turner. “Our efforts provided a way to check on the welfare of the child, provide any services needed in this family through DCS, and to help prevent this from happening again.”
Johnson was transported to the Tipton County Jail and is being held on a $50,000.00 bond. She is scheduled to appear in Tipton County General Sessions Court before Judge M.O. Eckel, III, on Tuesday.
The Covington Police Department encourages anyone with further information about this active investigation to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at (901) 475-1261.
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