Mother arrested after boys are left alone on Christmas

The children, ages 7 and 9, go to a neighbor after being alone for 12 hours. Their mother says she was out obtaining drugs.

By CHRIS TISCH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 28, 2002

LARGO -- A woman has been arrested on charges she left her two young sons home alone for more than 12 hours on Christmas Day while she prostituted herself for crack cocaine.

Kelly P. Garza, 40, was arrested the next day on a child neglect charge. She was being held at the Pinellas County Jail Friday in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Largo police said Garza left her Largo apartment about 9 a.m. on Christmas Day, leaving her sons, ages 7 and 9, to open their gifts by themselves. The boys also were left with no food, said Largo police Officer George Walters.

"The cupboard was bare and the apartment was full of beer bottles from mom partying," Walters said.

About 12 hours later, the boys went to a neighbor's apartment. The boys were crying and told the neighbor they didn't know where their mother had gone. Both boys said they were hungry. The neighbor called police and Walters responded.

The boys were taken into protective custody.

Garza returned home at 2 a.m. Walters had left his business card on her door. She called and the officer came and arrested her the next day.

Walters said Garza told him her drug dealer had stayed with her on Christmas Eve. She had sex with the dealer to pay for crack, he said.

On Christmas morning, she went with the dealer to a crack house in St. Petersburg, where a number of women prostituted themselves to a number of drug dealers in exchange for the drug.

"That was her whole Christmas," Walters said. "She's a crack addict and alcoholic."

Walters said Garza told him she had been arrested in Texas years ago for prostituting herself for heroin. She had been clean for five years, but had recently run into trouble after she started drinking.

She also is awaiting trial on an unrelated drunken-driving charge, court records show.

Walters said he didn't think Garza showed much remorse upon her arrest. She showed little care for her children. The officer said he hopes to get her some help.

"I think she was more worried about going to jail than her kids," Walters said. "All she kept talking about is how long she would be in jail. Not once did she ask if the kids were okay, or where the kids were at."

-- Chris Tisch can be reached at 445-4156 or tisch@sptimes.com .

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