A couple has been arrested by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office for reportedly leaving their children unattended outside.
A couple, Joey Lee Barrientos and Alexis Angel Gonzalez, both in their early twenties, have been taken into custody. They are facing charges of abandoning or endangering a child, with three counts each.
Deputies from the sheriff’s office were called to the 6800 block of Princess Palm in Brownsville on June 30 regarding unattended children on the roadway.
Deputies responded to the scene and discovered an unattended four-year-old boy who showed signs of neglect. According to the sheriff’s office, the child was found with insect bites covering his body, without shoes, and dressed in just a t-shirt and a very dirty diaper.
Deputies also found a one-year-old child in distress near the entrance to a nearby apartment.
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According to the sheriff’s office, deputies went to the apartment where the children were found and tried to make contact, but nobody answered the door.
Authorities entered the apartment and discovered an unsupervised four-month-old baby in a car seat in the living area, as reported by the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office reported that the parents, Barrientos and Gonzalez, were found asleep in a nearby bedroom, according to deputies.
Deputies roused the couple from their slumber and inquired about the unsupervised presence of their children outside. According to the sheriff’s office, the couple mentioned that they had gone out the previous night and accidentally fell asleep.
Barrientos and Gonzalez were arrested by deputies, and Child Protective Services were notified. The children were taken to a nearby hospital for assessment as reported by KRGV News.