Child abandonment: Mother accused of locking kids in home for hours to go gambling in Houston, TX
HOUSTON -- A Houston mother is accused of leaving her 3- and 5-year-old kids at home for several hours without food to go gambling on Memorial Day.
Mary Ann DeLeon, 38, is facing a child abandonment charge after records state she locked her two young children at home before 2 a.m. on Monday so she could go gambling and drinking.
Court documents state the children, ages 3 and 5, were unable to open the home's exterior door and were left without food for more than 10 hours.
During DeLeon's court appearance on Tuesday, a judge said the two children were reportedly spotted crying in a window by a neighbor, who called the police.
Officers responded to the scene at about 10:30 a.m. and kept the children in patrol cars for about two hours until a family friend arrived.
The friend then called DeLeon, who said she was out drinking and gambling and believed the children's father was watching them, but he claimed to be at work.
DeLeon was arrested the same day, and her bond was set at $1,000 on Tuesday.
