Mom leaves 9-year-old at fast food resto to go to casino, gets arrested
A mother was arrested for leaving her 9-year-old child at a fast food restaurant so she could go to a casino in Arizona, United States.
Police responded to a call from an employee of the restaurant when the child had been left unattended for about an hour on Wednesday, June 19, as per CBS-affiliate AZfamily last Friday, June 21.
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Stacey Rupp returned to the McDonald’s branch, where she left the child on his own, after authorities had already arrived at the scene.
She denied being at a casino and said she had gone to a nearby marketplace instead. She added that she left her child so he could “play in the play place.” But according to the police, Rupp did not enter the establishment and left her child unsupervised as he went inside.
The 34-year-old mother also did not provide the child with “a cell phone or any type of means of communication… for him to get in contact of her in case of an emergency,” according to court documents.
The mother later withdrew her statement of being in the marketplace and admitted to being at the casino, as per report. Police obtained a copy of the surveillance video of the casino and stated that Rupp was there between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Rupp was arrested and charged with counts of child abuse and endangering the life and health of a minor. She made her first court appearance on June 21, and is scheduled for another hearing next month.
The mother was released after telling the court that keeping her from her son would be “detrimental” to the child since they spend every night together. Ryan Arcadio/JB
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