Mother Arrested After Allegedly Leaving Son, 6, Home Alone For Hours
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh woman was arrested Friday after allegedly leaving her 6-year-old child home alone for hours.
A criminal complaint says officers were sent to a home in the 1200 block of Woodland Avenue around 2:30 a.m. on Friday for a burglar alarm going off.
When officers arrived on the scene, a 6-year-old boy let the officers into the house. Police say he was visibly upset and crying.
He told officers that his mother, 26-year-old Sharika Lee, had told him to go to bed, and when he woke up some time later, Lee was gone. Officers attempted to contact the child's father, but could not find him at his listed address or reach him by phone.
The child was taken to the police station. Child Youth Services took custody of the child around 6 a.m.
Police said in the criminal complaint that four hours after the child was found, Lee had still not returned home or contacted police.
Lee was arrested Friday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 26.
Lee had also been wanted on an animal cruelty charge in relation to an incident that happened on June 15, 2016.
According to a criminal complaint, on that date, an officer was called to a recently vacated home in the 1100 block of Franklin Avenue in Wilkinsburg for a report of a dead dog.
After entering the home, the officer found a dead pit bull in a cage in a second-story bedroom. The dog was reportedly severely malnourished and a dog dish was found outside of the locked cage.
Officers were able to determine that Lee and her child's father previously lived at the home.
A criminal complaint was filed in November of 2017. A preliminary hearing for Lee's animal cruelty charge is scheduled for Jan. 25.
