‘We went out the night before’: Couple arrested after leaving 3 children unattended

BROWNSVILLE, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — A couple was arrested after deputies found three children unattended, authorities say.

Joey Lee Barrientos Jr., 21, and Alexis Angel Gonzalez, 19, were charged with three counts of abandoning or endangering a child, a second-degree felony, according to the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office.

At 5 p.m. Sunday, deputies responded to the 6800 block of Princess Palm Dr. regarding unattended children on the roadway.

When deputies arrived at the location, they found a 4-year-old boy barefoot by himself. Authorities reported that the boy “had insect bites all over his body, was wearing only a T-shirt and had an old, heavily soiled diaper.”

Authorities later found a 1-year-old crying by the entrance of the apartment. Deputies were then led to the apartment where the children lived. According to the release, deputies knocked at the door but no one answered.

When deputies entered the apartment, they found a 4-month-old baby in a car seat, in the living room area with no supervision. The parents, identified as Gonzalez and Barrientos, were later found asleep in a nearby bedroom.

When asked why the children were outside by themselves, they replied, that they went out the night before and fell asleep.

Both parents were taken into custody and booked into the Carrizalez Rucker Detention Center.

Child Protective Services were notified and the children were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

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