A north Fulton County mother was arrested for allegedly leaving her 15-month-old twins at home alone while she went to buy wrapping paper, police said.
An anonymous caller told Alpharetta police the two children were alone in a Brooke Forest Court home Friday morning, and officer arrived to find the home unlocked, according to a police report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I entered the house and loudly announced myself as a police officer but got no response,” the officer wrote in the report. “I continued searching the home and loudly announcing my presence. When I arrived on the upper floor of the home, I discovered two very young children in cribs in an upstairs bedroom.”
An hour after the officer arrived at the home, the children’s mother returned, according to police. Patricia Schmitt, 47, told the officer she had gone to buy wrapping paper and had asked a neighbor two doors down to check on the children, police said.
“She also stated that she does this periodically and sees nothing wrong with this practice,” the police report states.
The officer called the Division of Family and Children Services and a social worker said the agency received a call about the children being left alone the previous day, according to police. Schmitt told police she gave the neighbor a baby monitor to use, but the neighbor told police she had no monitor to check on the children.
Schmitt was arrested and charged with reckless conduct. She was released from the Fulton County jail Saturday after posting $5,000 bond, booking records show.
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