29-year-old mother who left children alone while on a cruise has done it before, court records show

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 29-year-old mother who is accused of leaving her two young children home alone while she went on a cruise has allegedly done it before, according to court records.

Lakesha Woods Williams is charged with abandoning a child with intent to return and is being held on a $25,000 bond.

The Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office was called out to her luxury high rise in the Memorial City area for a welfare check on April 9. Neighbors had expressed concerns about children being unattended.

"Many of the residents were worried about the children and have said this is not the first time that something like this has occurred," Williams' charging document stated.

There, they found her 6-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son alone in the apartment, which they noted was in a state of disarray.

The children told deputies they had been alone since April 4 and that their mother was on a cruise. They said they did not know when she was coming home.

PREVIOUS STORY: Mom left her 6- and 8-year-old kids alone at their Memorial home to go on a cruise, records state

Deputies noted that the apartment smelled like urine, and it was apparent the children had attempted to prepare food for themselves. They also found a webcam she used to check in on them and a phone that the 8-year-old was using to communicate with Williams while she was away. It was confiscated by deputies.

Williams had flown to Miami five days prior and boarded a cruise to Puerto Rico, according to deputies.

When deputies contacted Williams, they said she was uncooperative and changed her story about where she was.

On Friday afternoon, Williams appeared before a magistrate, who said that the mother's bond would be set higher than usual on the charge because there are allegations that similar circumstances have occurred before.

If Williams posts her $25,000 bond, she will have to get a GPS ankle monitor and adhere to a curfew.

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.

She is due back in court on April 15 at 9 a.m. before Judge Brian Warren.

For more on this story, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, X and Instagram.