When passersby noticed a young woman with Down syndrome living on the streets with her mom, they called authorities. Now a court will decide whether or not the woman is best off with her mother.

Lisa Arnold, 20, spent her days selling newspapers on a Nashville-area street corner with her mother. But earlier this year, a disability advocate and some concerned citizens brought her situation to the attention of authorities.

In a petition to the court, Arnold’s mom is accused of using her daughter’s disability to attract sympathy so that people will buy newspapers. The mother is also alleged to have encouraged her daughter to kiss homeless men.

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Moreover, at least one woman said she observed Arnold appearing dehydrated and frostbitten while sitting in a soiled diaper, but that her mother refused help.

In January a judge granted temporary conservatorship to a caseworker from The Arc who placed Arnold in a group home and enrolled her in school. But the woman’s mother is fighting the arrangement and a court will soon decide what’s best for Arnold long-term, reports The (Nashville) Tennessean. To read more click here.

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