The Lombardi Law Firm Blog

Raising children is difficult enough without trying to do it from a jail cell

Recently we've read disturbing news alerts, here are a few reports that alarm us. We report on stories like this hoping others will read and learn the lessons having to do with child safety. Keep in mind these are the news reports and news is not always the way things turn out nor are news stories always true; meaning the facts may be different than what is reported.

A 21-year old woman from Norfolk, Nebraska faces felony charges of abuse and neglect of her 2 year old son who was left home alone overnight in their apartment on May 1, 2009. Police responded to a call that the child was alone and had the child removed immediately. The apartment manager informed the mother who returned more than 12 hours after leaving that her son had been removed.

On May 4, 2009, another mother from Omaha, Nebraska left her 3 month old baby home alone and was arrested for drunk driving while out to buy more booze! Besides the DUI charge, this woman faces felony child abuse, and driving with a suspended license.

In late April 2009, also in Omaha, a 2 year old and 4 year old were found home alone when a neighbor called the apartment manager about water leaking through his ceiling. The manager found the children home alone with an overflowing toilet. The children told the officers that they were usually home alone when their mother was at work. The father of these children has been cited for neglect……was he supposed to be home watching them?

Nebraska’s safe haven law which was enacted in September 2008, allows parents to abandon their children at a hospital without fear of prosecution, NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

If nothing else consider the consequences ……if you don’t want the responsibility of raising children, or if they are in the way of your good time at least allow them to be adopted by people who would provide good homes, people who wouldn’t think about leaving a baby home alone. Think of the child.