Lakesha Woods Williams faces a child abandonment charge after allegedly leaving her kids alone to go on a cruise
Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 5/Facebook
Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 5 police car
A Texas mother is facing a child abandonment charge after police allege she left her two children, aged 6 and 8 years old, alone for several days while going on a cruise.
Lakesha Woods Williams was arrested and booked into jail last Thursday, according to inmate records reviewed by PEOPLE.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office records show Williams, 29, was charged with abandoning a child with intent to return and is being held on $25,000 bond.
The mother of two was arrested after officers responded to a call concerning her children allegedly being left alone in the family’s apartment in Houston, according to information shared on social media by Harris County Constable Precinct 5.
The constable’s office said Williams left her two young children at the apartment on April 4.
“On April 9th, deputies found the children alone in the apartment, and they told deputies their mother was on a cruise,” the office said in its news release. “Paramedics and CPS were called to the scene to check on the kids health and safety.”
The constable’s office alleged Williams returned home on the night of April 10 and was arrested the following day when officers returned to the apartment to follow up on the child welfare call.
“We are still putting together the facts and circumstances of how these children were left alone for several days,” Constable Ted Heap said in a statement. “But the important thing is they are safe now and those responsible should be held accountable for leaving these kids in an unsafe situation.”
The office said “both children are now in the care of a relative.”
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Fox News reported that Williams was due in court on Monday.
Local ABC 13 reported that Williams’ neighbors had been concerned about the children for some time and that the family’s apartment appeared disheveled when officers arrived. “Many of the residents were worried about the children and have said this is not the first time that something like this has occurred,” Williams’ charging document alleged, according to the outlet.
ABC reported that officers said the apartment smelled of urine when they arrived for the welfare check and that it seemed the 6 and 8-year-old children were attempting to cook for themselves while their mother was allegedly away on the cruise.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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