Plantation woman arrested after being accused of leaving 3 kids alone at home while she went to work

WSVN, BROWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, PLANTATION POLICE DEPT., CNN

By VANESSA MEDINA, JULIAN QUINTANA, KEVIN BOULANDIER

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    PLANTATION, Florida (WSVN) — Police on Wednesday arrested a woman in Plantation, accused of leaving her three kids alone at her home while she went to work.

Linda St. Leger, 36, was charged with three counts of child neglect.

St. Leger made her first court appearance on Thursday.

Her attorney defended her actions.

“We have a single mother that got an emergency call from her employer basically saying ‘You have to come to work, if not, you’re going to lose your job.’ Then she’s a single mom trying to make rent payments, trying to make water payments,” said her attorney.

But prosecutors said her children were in danger.

“I understand why she wasn’t there but the danger to the children remains the same, regardless of the parent’s motive,” said Eric Linder.

Her attorney went on to say it was a poor choice from the mother.

“There’s a certain sense behind it. It’s not like she was trying to go out and have fun. She was trying to provide for her family. She didn’t want to risk her kids being homeless,” the attorney said.

According to Plantation Police, Leger left her 10-year-old girl, her 8-year-old boy and 2-year-old boy at the home while she went to work at a Wawa.

The 10-year-old told police her mother works the night shift from Sunday to Wednesday and that she is usually the one who cares for her other siblings. She said she is responsible for changing diapers and feeding them.

While she was a work, someone called 911 because they saw the 2-year-old walking around the neighborhood with a dog just before midnight on Tuesday.

When officers responded to the scene, they found the three children unattended. The 2-year-old, police said, had a soiled diaper and was found a quarter mile from his home.

According to the police report, officers noticed dog feces and urine on the home’s floor, no edible food and the temperature inside the home was 91 degrees.

Police called St. Leger at her work and she told them that she left because of a work emergency. She was arrested and the children were removed from her care.

The judge set St. Leger’s bond to $15,000.

“I am going to set bond in the amount of $5,000 as to each count and I am going to order no victim contact times three until further order of the court,” said Broward County Circuit Court Judge Michele Mccaul Ricca.

St. Leger remains at the Broward County jail. The children are with their father.

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