Florida Mom Arrested at Airport After Allegedly Leaving 4 Kids Home Alone for Days
A Florida mom has been arrested after allegedly leaving her four children behind while traveling to Las Vegas for work. The details of the arrest were shared by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook Oct. 26. The post described how deputies were alerted to the situation after receiving a 911 call from the house.
According to the post, one of the children called for help after a dumbbell had fallen on a 9-year-old boy’s head. When the deputies arrived, they said they were unable to find an adult among the four children, whose ages ranged from nine to 14.
The deputy then called the children’s mom, Irene Miller, and it was revealed that she was out of town until Oct. 23. Miller told the deputy that she had arranged for someone to come see the kids off to school in the morning and to make sure they got home all right in the evening, leaving the kids home alone overnight.
Fortunately, the 9-year-old has already been discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, Miller now faces four counts of child neglect, and she has been booked into the Orange County Jail.
The Mom Was Traveling for Work
When the deputy originally called Miller from her Parkway Boulevard home, she explained how she had left the kids on Oct. 18 when she flew from Florida to Las Vegas. Miller said she was set to return home just a few days later, and that she had a babysitter coming in from Tampa each day to help the kids before and after school.
After deputies checked on the kids, ages 9, 11, 12, and 14, they called the children’s father. He took all four children to his house while the sheriff’s deputies made a plan to meet Miller at the airport on the morning of Oct. 23 to arrest her on four counts of Child Neglect without Great Bodily Harm.
“The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect,” a Facebook statement from Sheriff Chris Blackmon said. “These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children.”
When Can Kids Be Left Home Alone?
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families and the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, children shouldn’t be left home alone before the age of 12. Additionally, the agency says that older children shouldn’t be left to supervise younger children until they are 15 or older. Of course, the agency notes that some children are ready for this level of responsibility at a younger age, while others aren’t ready until they are much older.
That being said, not all states have clear laws when it comes to the right age for leaving kids alone, including Florida.
