Two US women were taken into custody on serious charges of leaving their four children, including a seven-month-old toddler, alone in a parked car while they went drinking at a bar, police said. The authorities also found a large bag of marijuana inside the vehicle.
An onlooker saw a young child running around a parking area at around 11 pm on March 8 in Glendale, Arizona. The person immediately informed the police, and the officers began a search.
The responding officers found a bag of marijuana in the glove box inside the car, which was within easy reach of the kids, The NY Post reported. About 45 minutes later, two women, drunk, showed up and identified themselves as the children's mothers.
Police said both women smelled of alcohol and were slurring their speech. When officers told them that the kids had been left in the car for hours, one of the women declined and said they had only gone into Salt Tacos y Tequila Bar to use the washroom.
The officers appeared shocked after learning the two had gone to the bar, leaving their children alone in the parking area. Initially, the two declined to have been drunk; however, later one admitted that they had a drink. The other woman claimed that they had been inside the bar for only 15 minutes.
The officer immediately called her out, saying, "That's a lie. We've been standing with these kids for over 45 minutes." One of the women claimed that she didn't have her phone with her and thought they had been gone for only 10 minutes.
As officers were taking the children with them, one of the women pleaded not to take her kids away. She said, "Like seriously, they're the only things I've got. I know this is super, super bad, I promise ... My heart's about to explode."
The children were taken to the hospital for a checkup, while both women were taken into custody and charged with criminal negligence and child abuse.
