Concerned staff of the Comfort Suites on North Main Street called the Daphne Police on the evening of August 9, saying that two children, a five-year-old and a 15-year-old brother, had been left unsupervised all day.
After talking to the staff, authorities were able to locate and speak with Hassanah Jabriah Smith, 33, of New Jersey, who is the mother of the children.
“Eventually, they were able to get the mom on the phone, who I think first claimed to be at the store and then later said she was in Tennessee, and then at some point Atlanta got mentioned,” said Daphne Police Chief Brian Gulsby, according to Fox10.
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The five-year-old was a nonverbal, autistic child. Officers got in touch with the Department of Human Resources (DHR), which police claimed made the decision to leave the kids alone because they believed the mother would be coming back that evening.
The hotel staff then called the police once more on August 10 after reporting that the autistic child had fallen into the swimming pool.
The police responded again, but this time they did not leave. The police were not only concerned about the children’s safety. They stated that when they were there, they discovered that the children were left without food or water.
“The officers bought food for them both on Saturday and on Sunday and then finally, mom shows up about four o’clock or so Sunday afternoon,” Gulsby said.
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On August 10, Daphne Police apprehended Smith at the hotel.
Following her arrest, Smith was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, each of which carries a $1,000 bond. Police added that after questioning her and the hotel workers, they discovered that the children had been left alone before.
“They told the officers and the detective that came out that the boys being alone for hours or a day at a time was the pattern since they moved into that hotel,” said Gulsby.
Smith booked into Comfort Suites with her children and boyfriend on July 27, according to authorities.
This case will be tried by the Daphne Municipal Court. The maximum penalty for each charge is one year in prison.
Police tell Fox10 News that DHR released the children into the custody of Smith’s boyfriend.
