A couple, who left three young children alone in an I-Drive hotel on Tuesday, has been charged with child neglect, Orlando Police said.
Katie C. Weaver, 21, and Richard K. Watts, 27, were taken into custody on Tuesday, and charged with three counts of child neglect. Additionally, Watts was charged with possession of meth.
Police were called to the International Palms Resort on I-Drive, after the hotel front desk manager received a call from a 7-year-old boy in one of the rooms, stating he was alone with his two brothers. The front desk manager and a hotel employee found three children, ages 7 years, a toddler and new born, unattended.
Police found the children alone in a room on the 10th floor of the hotel. The room was dirty with multiple cigarette butts on the carpet, police say.
The 7-year-old boy told police that his parents had been gone for about “an hour or so”, shopping for clothes.
Weaver and Watts upon returning to the hotel were questioned by police. Investigators learned that the baby was born premature and in need of special medical attention.
The Department of Children and Families responded to the scene and took possession of the children.
Weaver and Watts have been charged with three counts of child neglect. Police found Watts in possession of meth. Weaver’s bond was set at $2,600 and Watts’ at $2,900. They were transported to the Orange County Jail.
Both Weaver and Watts carried North Dakota driver’s licenses.
