A 28-year-old Texas woman faces a felony charge after deputies found her three young children home without supervision on July 8.
Madeline Colunga was arrested that night at a residence on Cavern Springs Drive in Tomball after neighbors reported several children wandering outside unattended. Deputies discovered the children, ages 1, 3, and 4, and made multiple attempts to contact their mother before reaching a family member who reached her by phone.
Colunga returned home shortly afterward but could not provide a reasonable explanation for her absence, according to a press release from Harris County Constable Precinct 4. She was booked into the Harris County Jail on one count of abandoning a child with intent to return, with bond set at $5,000.
The children were safely released to a guardian at the scene, and Child Protective Services was notified. Colunga is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 1.
"The safety of our children is always our highest priority," Constable Mark Herman said. "Leaving young children home alone places them at serious risk and is never worth the gamble."