Judge keeps bond at $25K for mother accused of leaving her children alone for days to go on cruise
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother accused of leaving her children home alone for days while she went on a vacation appeared before a judge on Monday.
While 29-year-old Lakesha Woods Williams was on a cruise to Puerto Rico, authorities say her kids - just 8 and 6 years old - were left to fend for themselves.
She was arrested last Thursday and has been in jail since then.
The video above is from the previous story: 29-year-old mother who left children alone while on a cruise has done it before, court records show
Williams is charged with abandoning a child with intent to return, and according to court records, neighbors say this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
Residents at Williams' luxury high-rise apartment building in the Memorial area reportedly called authorities worried about the kids. They said they saw the mother of two leave with luggage and bags on April 4, and she never returned.
The children were said to be left alone for at least five days and told deputies they didn't know when their mom was coming home.
Deputies with the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office went to Williams' apartment for a welfare check last Tuesday and said that the apartment was in disarray, it smelled like urine, and there was leftover food all over the place.
Authorities reported finding a web camera and cell phone that the children said their mother used to check in on them. When deputies contacted Williams, they said she was uncooperative and changed her story about where she was.
On Monday, a magistrate judge reviewed Williams' bond and kept it at $25,000, calling the circumstances "egregious."
Her children are now in the custody of her sister, and the magistrate issued a protective order that prevents her from communicating with or being near her daughter and son.
"We take these child abuse cases very seriously. Even if you're acting negligently, it's not an excuse," Asst. District Attorney Keegan Childers said on Monday.
SEE ORIGINAL REPORT: Mom left her 6- and 8-year-old kids alone at their Memorial home to go on a cruise, records state
