Balcones Heights aunt arrested after 4- and 5-year-olds found alone
A woman who identified herself as the aunt of a 4-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy was arrested after Balcones Heights police found the children alone in an apartment.
Arrest and charges
A judge set her bail at $7,000. Jail records also list a charge of illegal entry from a foreign nation.
The incident came to light after a Rent-A-Center employee went to the apartment in the 700 block of Gentleman Road to collect a past-due payment.
The employee told officers that a boy answered the door and said his mother was not home.
He then saw a girl peeking from behind the kitchen counter. After waiting about 10 to 15 minutes, he called police, the report states.
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An assistant property manager unlocked the door, and officers found the children alone, “crying and visibly frightened,” according to the report.
Charges and court proceedings
Mariana Soto Montezuma, 22, was arrested Nov. 7 and charged with two counts of abandoning a child with intent to return, court records show.
