An Oklahoma couple is facing child neglect charges after police say they left three young children — including a 1-year-old — home alone while they went out to play pickleball.
Andrew Dick and Feather Roberts were arrested on August 30 after Glenpool police responded to a report that the couple’s children were allegedly without adult supervision inside their home.
According to police, the children were 8, 5 and 1 years old.
The situation reportedly came to authorities’ attention after a concerned person suspected that the children had been left alone and contacted police. The person also reportedly contacted Roberts directly.
Police say Roberts told the person that she and Dick were playing pickleball in Bixby, Oklahoma, approximately 20 minutes away from the children’s home. Roberts allegedly claimed that the kids were with babysitters.
But when the concerned person went to the residence, authorities say they discovered that there was actually no adult present with the children.
Officers were then called to the home.
When police arrived, they reportedly found the 8-year-old and 5-year-old watching television while the 1-year-old was asleep.
The children were not reported to be injured, and police said all three were safe and in good health.
The parents eventually returned home, and officers questioned them about the situation.
One of the questions reportedly centered around how the children were supposed to contact their parents if an emergency occurred while they were away.
According to police, Roberts told officers that the children had access to an iPad that they could use to contact her and Dick if something happened.
That explanation apparently did not end the investigation.
Authorities say they discovered during the investigation that this allegedly was not the first time the children had been left home without adult supervision.
Police also learned that Dick and Roberts have a fourth child, an infant, but authorities said appropriate childcare arrangements had been made for that child.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services was notified following the incident.
Both Dick and Roberts now face three counts of child neglect.
The case has sparked plenty of reaction online, particularly because of the ages of the children and the fact that the youngest child was only 1 year old. The parents were allegedly about 20 minutes away playing pickleball when the children were discovered without an adult inside the home.
Authorities have not alleged that the children were physically harmed during the incident. However, investigators are accusing the parents of leaving the three children without proper adult supervision.
The arrests serve as another reminder that authorities can become involved when young children are allegedly left without an adult capable of caring for them, particularly when an infant or toddler is involved.
For now, the allegations against Dick and Roberts remain accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Leave a Reply