A Lauderhill mother is being charged with five counts of child neglect after police said she gave her children sleeping pills and NyQuil before leaving them home alone to go to work.
Grace Pressey, 26, appeared in bond court Friday where a Broward judge ordered her held on $2,000 bond on the condition that she avoid contact with her children.
Police responded to Pressey's home on Feb. 25th after getting an anonymous tip that there were five children between the ages of 5 months and 7 years left alone at home, police said.
When officers arrived, the oldest of the children opened the door. Police said they found the children were left without power and an investigation revealed they had been left alone several times without access to food or phone.
Three of the children also told police Pressey would give them a pink sleeping pill and NyQuil before she left for work around 8 p.m. before returning again around 5 a.m.
Two of the children were taken to foster care and the other three were left with their grandmother.
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A public defender asked Judge John Hurley Friday to reduce Pressey's bond, which was originally set at $5,000, saying the mother worked nights, had no money and was a foster child herself. He also said Pressey has no prior convictions.
Hurley reduced the bond and ordered Pressey to stay away from her children and forbid her to care for any other child under the age of 15.
