LAUREL, Miss. (WHLT) — A Mississippi woman is facing child abuse charges after police said she left her children inside a U-Haul truck while she and a friend dined at a Waffle House.
The Sun Herald reported officers arrived at the restaurant in Laurel around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13. They found a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old locked in the back of the moving truck. Laurel Police Chief Tommy Cox said a witness called police after noticing the children being locked in the vehicle.
Their mother and her friend were both charged with felony child abuse. They were booked into jail and held on a $10,000 bond. The mother was released on bond on Monday, October 18, but the friend, who is a man from Gulfport, remains in custody. They have not been identified.
Child Protective Services (CPS) has taken custody of both children, one of whom has autism.