A 32-year-old woman has been fined $800 (over R14,000) after she left her children alone for nearly three days while she went to Florid in the, United States to support a friend undergoing cosmetic surgery.
Domonique Knowles, who lives in Ohio, left her 10-year-old daughter to take care of her seven-year-old twin daughters who have special needs while she went to support a friend undergoing liposuction surgery.
In a news report by WAGM TV, it was said that Knowles only took her eight-month-old son when she left on February 22, 2024.
The broadcaster said Knowles left her children with no phone and checked in on them via FaceTime on a laptop and would monitor them on the home’s security cameras.
It was reported that her 10-year-old daughter spoke to her teacher about how she talked to mom on the camera and that mom ordered them Uber Eats and left it at the door.
The teacher raised the alarm by calling police who went to do a welfare check at the home.
The broadcaster said when police arrived, the home was dirty with garbage all over the floor and there was liquid spilled on the floor. While officers were there, one of the twin girls slipped and fell.
A prosecutor, Michael Maloney, who spoke to the TV station said he was horrified when he got the case.
He said Knowles wasn’t really checking in on her kids, “the girls made that clear.”
Maloney said police tracked down the children’s grandmother and the elderly woman didn’t known that her daughter would be away for a couple of days.
“It was worse, mom lied to her mother. There were adults that were available to help out, ” Maloney was quoted as saying.
Upon her return, Maloney said Knowles initially denied ever leaving Ohio, but police were able to prove she spent two nights in Miami.
“My kids are allowed to be here by themselves,” Knowles told the police.
“Not when you have two special needs kids,” the officer was quoted as saying.
According to WKYC TV station, Knowles told police that she travelled to Florida to support her friend undergoing liposuction surgery.
The TV station attended Knowles court proceedings and she was captured admitting that what she did was wrong.
“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,” she said.
The judge told Knowles that something bad could have happened to the children and they needed her to be there and not be parented through remote cameras.
“They could have started a fire in the apartment, they could have hurt themselves or suffered a medical emergency or they could have been taken by a stranger,” he said.
The judge said he won’t separate Knowles from her children and will give her time to spend with them.
Knowles was sentenced to 360 days of house arrest, she will be allowed to leave for work, five years of probation, and was ordered to attend a parenting, and mental health counselling class.
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