An Ohio mother is in huge trouble after authorities accused her of taking a trip across state lines for days and allegedly leaving behind some precious cargo: her own children. The reason she did it...? Absolutely mind-blowing.
In February, a special education teacher at Westlake City Schools contacted the cops to report what her 7-year-old student told her. The girl said she was home alone with her twin sister and 10-year-old sister. The girl also said their mother, Dominique Knowles, was in Texas and would contact them via video call and also had food delivered to the house.
Police performed a welfare check on the girls and found the three home alone, per FOX 8 News. The police report says the apartment was “in shambles” with clothes, garbage and “unknown liquids” covering the floor as well as stacked up furniture and storage boxes. The also place smelled of “old food and body odor.”
However, police said the girls denied the suspicion their mother left them alone, the report says. Police said they contacted their grandmother, who also said Knowles was not out of state and claimed to be babysitting her infant son.
Four days after the welfare check, police said they located Knowles. She told detectives she was not out of state, but the investigation revealed she made or received over 50 calls in the Miami area for the three days she was absent from home. Prosecutors accused her of taking a trip to Florida because of her friend’s liposuction surgery.
“I understand what I did was wrong and this absolutely would never happen again. I did believe my kids were able to dress themselves and get themselves to school. I wouldn’t dare let anything happen to my kids. I wish I could go back and change the circumstances,” Knowles said in court on Wednesday, per WKYC.
Despite her apology, Knowles was found guilty of two counts of endangering children in a bench trial. The report says she was ordered to serve five years probation, attend a parenting class, and complete mental health counseling. She was also given 360 days of house arrest and $800 in fines. She’ll be allowed to leave the house for work, the report says. To put the nail in the coffin, the judge had a few choice words for her.
“The issue here was not whether the two 7-year-olds were fed or clothed while their mother was in Florida. Rather, the issue is whether leaving two 7-year-old minors with their 10-year-old sister while the defendant travelled to Miami, Florida, for three days created a substantial risk of harm to them without adult supervision. The answer is a resounding yes,” said Judge Joseph Burke in his ruling.