On Thursday, as freezing weather ripped through Grapevine, a mother left her two kids at Cannon Elementary in Grapevine even though the school was closed for the morning.
A good samaritan nearby called police who arrived at the scene at 7:14 AM.
According to The Fort Worth Star Telegram:
Lt. Todd Dearing, police spokesman, said Friday that he did not know how long the children were unattended.
He said, however, that the mother, who was on her way to work, heard on the car radio that the school was closed, so she went back to get her children.
By the time she got there, police were already on scene, Dearing said.
“She made a mistake, she knows she made a mistake, and now we’re investigating the case to see if we’ll be filing criminal charges,” Dearing said.
The possible charge is “abandoning or endangering a child,” which is a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Child Protective Services were notified about the case, Dearing said.
We all make mistakes, even as parents. We also know that police have to do their jobs. But given that the mom in this case turned around to go pick up her kids as soon as she heard the school was closed we hope that no fine or jail time will be necessary.
Since no one was harmed and it sounds like an honest mistake, the possible punishments definitely do not fit the crime here.
Do you agree? Feel free to leave your comments below.
It that’s the worst thing to happen to those children during their childhood they have been blessed. Let’s hope the police accepts it as an accident.