Police: Mom Left Kids Home Alone To Go Clubbing

Police: Mom Left Kids Home Alone To Go Clubbing
Orlando Woman Arrested On Child Neglect Charges

POSTED: Monday, August 23, 2010
UPDATED: 6:54 pm EDT August 26, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A woman was arrested Monday in Orlando on suspicion of leaving her five children -- all under the age of 13 -- home alone while she was at a nightclub.

Formeka Sanders, 29, was arrested on child neglect charges.

According to Orlando police, a 5-year-old boy was found wandering by a security guard around 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Oak Glen apartments, and the guard called police.

The boy showed the guard where he lived, but he didn't answer when he was asked about the whereabouts of his mother, according to a police report.

When officers took the child home, the other children, ages 12, 10, 9 and 2, were discovered alone and asleep in their home. All of the children appeared to be OK, police said.

Police said Sanders left a cell phone number with her children, but when police called her, she could not be heard because of loud music in the background, and she hung up. Orlando police said Sanders was at Firestone, a downtown Orlando night club. One of the children told police that Sanders left the apartment around 11 p.m. Sunday.

Sanders returned home around 3:30 a.m. with her boyfriend and was later arrested, police said.

According to Orlando police, officers smelled alcohol on Sanders, who admitted to having one drink after initially saying she did not have any alcohol.

Sanders said she left one of the children in charge of the apartment and feels the child is old enough to care for the four siblings, according to the police report. She also said she typically goes out on weekends and leaves the child in charge of the others for about three hours overnight approximately once a week, according to police.

The children were placed in the care of Sanders' mother, according to the police report, but it's not known if they will remain in her custody.

The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident and an investigation has been launched.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Nystyle709 wrote:Eh, I don't know. I wouldn't have left my 12 year old solely in charge of four young kids. I would've been more comfortable having someone older there but 12 isn't that young to not babysit. How many 12 yr olds who are being raised in single parent homes and who have to take care of their younger siblings because their mother/father is trifling? It happens a lot. And Formeka? This chick sounds like a straight hoodrat.

Chris wrote:I think it's odd that the article states that the kids are now staying with their grandmother; couldn't grandma have watched them while Paprika went bar hopping that night?