The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest in the hit-and-run that injured a young child on New Year’s Eve night, but it wasn’t the person driving the car.

The mother of the toddler who was hit by an SUV was arrested Tuesday. Laperia Mydell, 23, of Rincon, was charged with first-degree cruelty to children.

The ECSO’s investigation determined that Mydell left her 3-year-old child in an apartment alone while she went shopping at a nearby gas station. The toddler managed to leave the apartment and run across Highway 21 near Goshen Road, where he was stuck by a northbound vehicle.

With one aspect of the case solved — why and how the child was crossing a busy road at approximately 9:30 p.m. — investigators continue to work on solving the other half of it. The ECSO is “still following leads” to find the driver who left the scene, according to spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor.

“The investigation is far from over,” Ehsanipoor said. “Had the mother not left the child alone while she went shopping, this wouldn’t have happened. Nevertheless, our focus is finding the hit-and-run driver.”

Based on a witness’ description, the suspect’s vehicle is believed to be a late 1990s model Chevrolet Tahoe or GMC Suburban.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office at 754-3449.