A Kentucky mother has been arrested after she allegedly abandoned her young kids at someone else’s home and left without telling the homeowner, leaving her 2-year-old son to wander into the street looking for her.
Crystal Neal was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 years old or younger and abandonment of a minor, according to jail records. She was taken into custody and booked at Madison County Detention Center, where she is currently being held without bond.
She is facing four counts on both of the charges, according to WKYT.
Neal, 40, was arrested after she brought her 11-year-old child to a friend’s home to play in Richmond on Saturday, May 9. At the time, she also allegedly dropped her three other children — who are 6, 5 and 2 years old — off at the home and said she was “going to get the children McDonald’s.”
The owner of the residence did not know why Neal’s children were at her home, so she called Richmond Police Department and told them that Neal did not ask for permission to leave her children there.
The kids were reportedly not supervised during the incident and the 2-year-old child even ran into the street while looking for Neal. The incident could have turned dangerous, as the outlet reported that the child was almost hit by a car.
After the homeowner called the police, officers reported to the home and were unable to get into contact with Neal after they called her six times. The 11-year-old also tried calling their mother several times, but was unable to get their mother on the phone.
Neal eventually returned to the home 30 minutes after police reported to the scene, per WKYT. In total, Neal was reportedly away from her children for three hours.
Once she was at the home, Neal spoke to police and they searched her phone. She allegedly told authorities that she had left her children while she was working to get an illegal drug.
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Meanwhile, the officers also interviewed the kids and they said they were not certain if their mother would come back to get them from the home. One of the children even allegedly said, “You left us, mom,” when she returned.
It is not currently known if Neal has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
Neal is next scheduled to appear in court on May 20 for a preliminary hearing regarding her charges.
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