Overview

• Police in Glendale, Arizona, responded to a March 8 incident where bystanders reported a small child wandering alone in a parking lot late at night.
• Officers discovered four children, aged four and under, left alone in a car with the engine running and a bag of marijuana within easy reach.
• The mothers were found intoxicated at a nearby bar, initially claiming they were gone for 10–15 minutes, though police had been on the scene for over 45 minutes.
• Both women were arrested and charged with child abuse with criminal negligence, and the children were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
• Prosecution of the mothers has been suspended as they participate in a felony parenting skills diversion program aimed at rehabilitation.