Truancy charge added to neglect allegation

Staff Reports

Makeup artist Kandee Johnson, accused of leaving her 12-year-old son alone in Minden while she worked in Los Angeles, appeared in court Wednesday with her lawyer to hear a new allegation.

Johnson, 31, has been charged additionally with contributing to her son's "educational neglect" from Nov. 20 through Jan. 27 by permitting him to become a "habitual truant" from Carson Valley Middle School.

According to the complaint, Johnson allowed him to fail to receive credit for the fall semester due to excessive absence.

The report did not indicate how many days the boy was absent.

Johnson was represented Wednesday by Minden lawyer Chuck Zumpft who asked East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl to set another hearing for Feb. 24.

Johnson was silent during the brief proceeding.

She was charged earlier with child endangerment, accused of leaving the boy unsupervised in November for one or more days in a house in the Johnson Lane area that officers said was littered with dirty dishes and food remnants.

The criminal complaint states the boy and a 12-year-old friend had access to materials to create a "hand-held flame-thrower" from an aerosol can of hairspray.

Deputies were called to the house at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 by a neighbor who observed the boys tossing burning materials over a fence.

The neighbor claimed the juvenile's mother was never around and the child was unsupervised.

The deputy said the house was "borderline unsanitary" with sinks full of dirty dishes and counters littered with dishes and remnants of food. They were about to place the boy with Child Protective Services when he contacted his grandfather who took custody.

Several hours later, according to the report, Johnson contacted the sheriff's office and was informed of the incident and the charge.

Johnson has said she planned to fight the charges.

She told The Record-Courier in January she was mortified people would think she left her son alone. She said a friend was supposed to pick him up and she thought he was at a neighbor's across the street and not home alone.