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So, did you see this news item? Parents left their 9 year and 5 year old children home while they went to Las Vegas to celebrate New Years.
What do you think? How do you determine when your child can be left alone? And for how long? And with what?
San Ramon Police Sgt. Brian Kalinowski confirms at a press conference held at San Ramon City Hall on Tuesday morning that two boys ages 5 and 9 were found left home alone at their home over the New Year's weekend while their father and step mother went to Las Vegas.
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Police on Wednesday arrested a father and stepmother suspected of leaving their two young boys home alone over New Years weekend while their three dogs were cared for by petsitters.
Investigators escorted Jacob Calero, 39, and Michelle Delavega, 32, from their America West flight when it arrived about 11 a.m. in Oakland from Las Vegas, said Sgt. Brian Kalinowski.
They were held on suspicion of felony child endangerment in lieu of $200,000 bail each.
Police, alerted by the boy's grandmother, discovered Jason, 5 and Joshua, 10, home alone Saturday night with cereal and frozen meals to eat and a cell phone number to call for emergencies. Their parents were spending the Year's Eve weekend in Las Vegas, Kalinowski said.
Joshua, staying with his brother at their grandmother's home in Manteca, said Wednesday he's angry that his father and stepmother left him to care for his brother.
"I'm mad they left. I'm mad they didn't take us with them," the boy said.
The 10-year-old said he knew his parents were leaving, but they didn't say good-bye. The boys awoke Friday morning to find their father and stepmother gone and no idea who, if anyone, might be by to check on them.
Police said the couple left their home about 5 a.m. Friday.
Officers found the brothers asleep in their beds about 11 p.m. Saturday after their maternal grandmother, Libbey Holden, called police when she suspected they were alone.
The children were taken into custody by Children's Protective Services and later turned over to Holden who took them to her Manteca apartment.
Holden says she will attend a temporary custody hearing in Martinez on Thursday. She would like to keep the boys at her house, but says it would be very difficult. The boy's biological mother died of breast cancer in June 2003.
"I pray to God that he will give me the strength to be a 25-year-old mother," she said. "I want them to stay with me, but I'm older and I don't have the finances."
Police had been in contact with the boys father since Monday. Investigators made the decision to arrest the couple after communication with investigators broke down Tuesday, and they stopped returning police phones calls, Kalinowski said.
"As a parent you would make ever effort to get home as soon as possible," Kalinowski said. "It seemed to us they were less than enthusiastic to return home as soon as possible. That gave us probable cause."
The parents apparently refused to talk to investigators once they were in custody, and asked to talk to an attorney, Kalinowski said.
The boys' grandmother called police about 11 p.m. Saturday night after growing concerned they were alone. Earlier that night, a neighbor had taken in the 5-year-old after hearing him screaming from inside his home's garage. Joshua, who had been at a friend's house for a few hours, later retrieved his younger brother from the neighbor's home, Kalinowski said.
Meanwhile, he said, petsitters were caring for the couple's three dogs for the week, he said.
The boy' father is a plumber and Delavega, who is stepmother to the children, works in the dental field. The couple wed last spring.
What do you think? How do you determine when your child can be left alone? And for how long? And with what?
San Ramon Police Sgt. Brian Kalinowski confirms at a press conference held at San Ramon City Hall on Tuesday morning that two boys ages 5 and 9 were found left home alone at their home over the New Year's weekend while their father and step mother went to Las Vegas.
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Police on Wednesday arrested a father and stepmother suspected of leaving their two young boys home alone over New Years weekend while their three dogs were cared for by petsitters.
Investigators escorted Jacob Calero, 39, and Michelle Delavega, 32, from their America West flight when it arrived about 11 a.m. in Oakland from Las Vegas, said Sgt. Brian Kalinowski.
They were held on suspicion of felony child endangerment in lieu of $200,000 bail each.
Police, alerted by the boy's grandmother, discovered Jason, 5 and Joshua, 10, home alone Saturday night with cereal and frozen meals to eat and a cell phone number to call for emergencies. Their parents were spending the Year's Eve weekend in Las Vegas, Kalinowski said.
Joshua, staying with his brother at their grandmother's home in Manteca, said Wednesday he's angry that his father and stepmother left him to care for his brother.
"I'm mad they left. I'm mad they didn't take us with them," the boy said.
The 10-year-old said he knew his parents were leaving, but they didn't say good-bye. The boys awoke Friday morning to find their father and stepmother gone and no idea who, if anyone, might be by to check on them.
Police said the couple left their home about 5 a.m. Friday.
Officers found the brothers asleep in their beds about 11 p.m. Saturday after their maternal grandmother, Libbey Holden, called police when she suspected they were alone.
The children were taken into custody by Children's Protective Services and later turned over to Holden who took them to her Manteca apartment.
Holden says she will attend a temporary custody hearing in Martinez on Thursday. She would like to keep the boys at her house, but says it would be very difficult. The boy's biological mother died of breast cancer in June 2003.
"I pray to God that he will give me the strength to be a 25-year-old mother," she said. "I want them to stay with me, but I'm older and I don't have the finances."
Police had been in contact with the boys father since Monday. Investigators made the decision to arrest the couple after communication with investigators broke down Tuesday, and they stopped returning police phones calls, Kalinowski said.
"As a parent you would make ever effort to get home as soon as possible," Kalinowski said. "It seemed to us they were less than enthusiastic to return home as soon as possible. That gave us probable cause."
The parents apparently refused to talk to investigators once they were in custody, and asked to talk to an attorney, Kalinowski said.
The boys' grandmother called police about 11 p.m. Saturday night after growing concerned they were alone. Earlier that night, a neighbor had taken in the 5-year-old after hearing him screaming from inside his home's garage. Joshua, who had been at a friend's house for a few hours, later retrieved his younger brother from the neighbor's home, Kalinowski said.
Meanwhile, he said, petsitters were caring for the couple's three dogs for the week, he said.
The boy' father is a plumber and Delavega, who is stepmother to the children, works in the dental field. The couple wed last spring.
