Mom arrested for leaving her three young children home alone for weekend trip to Texas
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – An Oklahoma City mother is accused of leaving her three young kids home alone while she went on a trip to Texas to meet a man.
“It’s not even worth it. Your kids should be your first priority,” neighbor De’Votnay Linzy told KFOR.
A police report says Shelly Harjo allegedly left her three children, ages 3, 4, and 11, home alone for the weekend, and that her priority was getting to Texas.
“She had been left there apparently for several days. All they had to eat was old pizza that had been purchased before the mom left town,” said MSgt. Gary Knight.
Knight said the 11-year-old child called police Monday because she thought her mom was missing. Harjo left for Texas on Friday and was supposed to return Sunday.
“She indicated to the daughter that she was going to Texas to get some money,” Knight said.
Linzy says it’s a poor excuse to leave your kids home alone.
“These kids are very precious and you shouldn’t leave the bigger one to watch the little ones, or the little ones to watch the big ones,” she said.
Police arrived to the south side apartment and gave the kids something to eat while notifying DHS.
“It was at that point the mother actually showed back up there at the residence,” said Knight.
Harjo told DHS officials that her friend was supposed to watch the kids that weekend and never showed up.
Limzy said leaving her kids alone is never an option.
“Not even out of town or even to the store,” she said.
The kids were placed in DHS custody. The children told officers they lived in the apartment for a month and haven’t been enrolled in school yet.
Harjo was arrested on child neglect charges.