Racqual Roniquel Hicks, a 37-year-old mother in Ohio, faces seven counts of child endangerment after allegedly leaving her children—including an 11-month-old infant—locked in a car while she gambled at an internet cafe in Toledo. The incident took place on March 19, with Hicks driving on a suspended license and without car seats. She pleaded not guilty in court and was released under GPS monitoring.
On the evening of Thursday, March 19, Racqual Roniquel Hicks drove her seven children to Luna's Internet Cafe in the 4000 block of Secor Road in Toledo, Ohio, arriving around 9:15 p.m. The children, aged 11 months, 1 year, 2, 6, 10, 13, and 15 years old, were then left unsupervised in the locked vehicle from about 9:20 p.m. until 10 p.m. while Hicks entered the establishment to gamble. The cafe is located approximately 120 miles northwest of Cleveland. Toledo Municipal Court records indicate Hicks operated the car despite a suspended license and had no car seats installed, contributing to the substantial risk to the children's health and safety outlined in the complaint. She was arrested last week and charged with seven counts of endangering children. Following her booking at the Lucas County Corrections Center, Hicks appeared before Judge Joseph J. Howe on Friday. She entered a not guilty plea to all charges and was ordered released on her own recognizance, conditional on wearing a GPS tracking device. The court declared her indigent and appointed a public defender; no next court date was specified in records.