Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – A mother of 10 has been charged with child neglect after police said she abandoned one of her kids on the Beltway and the other nine in a mini-van on a freezing cold day last December.
Takoma Park Police spokesperson Cathy Plevy said 36-year-old Sheri Marshall left her 12-year-old on the side of the Beltway after getting into some sort of argument with him. She then drove until she ran out of gas on New Hampshire Avenue, and stayed in the car with her nine other children, whose ages range between 1 and 11, for 36 hours before abandoning them according to Plevy.
The kids searched the car for change and went to a gas station to buy snacks and diapers. Still hungry, the nine of them walked to La Chiquita where they were fed and police were called.
Even though the incident happened last December, Plevy said charges weren’t filed until now because police and the state’s attorneys office wanted to take their time interviewing the children and building their case.
Plevy said in the ten years she’s been with the department she hasn’t seen a domestic case this like one.
“It’s sad. An 11-year-old is in charge of 10 of his siblings, and that’s gotta be scary,” said Plevy.
Marshall was evaluated for mental health problems, but none were found. Plevy said she was on drugs when she left her young children to fend for themselves.
According to court documents, Marshall was charged with nine counts of neglect of a minor, and six counts of confining an unattended child.
The kids are all okay and now living with relatives
Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Takoma Park Police)
