Mom accused of leaving 2 children home alone while she went shopping

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A southeast Houston mother is accused of leaving her two young children alone in her apartment while she went grocery shopping.

Teara Anderson, 20, is in the Harris County Jail, charged with abandoning a child.

Court records show that during a welfare check on Anderson's children on January 3, Houston police officers found a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old baby in an unlocked apartment in the 8900 block of Glencrest.

Police tried to locate the parents, but they eventually showed up on their own about 20 minutes after authorities arrived, court papers show.

The mother claims in court documents that she left the children in the apartment because they were sleeping. She went shopping and on the way back, she said her car broke down, so she had to call the kids' father to give her a ride home.

The children's father said he doesn't live in the apartment and gave her a ride home.

As for the unlocked door, court records indicate that Anderson claims her son likes to play with the door, so she believes he must have unlocked it while she was out.

Court papers also show, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety Sex Offenders Registry, 21 registered sex offenders reside within a mile of Anderson's home.