Bond denied for mother charged with unlawful neglect in missing baby case

An Horry County judge denied bond Thursday morning for the mother charged with unlawful neglect a child in the case of missing 5-month-old “Baby Grace” as the search continued.

Sarah Lane Toney, 33, of Myrtle Beach is charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person by legal custodian and was arrested Wednesday. At about 9:35 a.m., Toney faced Judge Aaron Butler in a bond hearing at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Scott Hixson, deputy solicitor with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, asked that bond be denied for Toney because she has failure to appear changes in her past, along with other charges, including domestic violence, and was currently on probation in connection with a drug charge in March.

Hixson also asked bond be denied because of the nature of the search and because he thought she would be a flight risk.

“I went into the water with her and was unable to hold on to her. I didn’t intentionally put her in any danger. I was going with her and I wasn’t able to hold on to her when the water sucked me in,” Toney said to the judge at the hearing.

Toney did not explain the circumstances that led her to the water that day.

Judge Butler set Toney’s preliminary hearing for Dec. 11 at the close of proceedings.

More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Please check back for story updates.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 11:39 AM with the headline "Bond denied for mother charged with unlawful neglect in missing baby case."