An alert neighbor found two little boys wandering by the side of a South Hall County road earlier this month, and now their mother has been charged with child cruelty.
Lt. Scott Ware with the Hall County Sheriff's Office said 31-year-old Karen Benio Casteel was arrested Monday in connection with the January 4th incident on Parks Road just off Falcon Parkway.
Ware said the neighbor was taking a taxi home from work around 2:30 a.m. on January 4 when he saw something dart out towards the road.
"He asked the taxi driver to slow down [and that's when he saw] there were two children - both brothers, ages 3 and 5 - and they stated they were looking for their mom," Ware said.
The neighbor called 9-1-1 and when deputies arrived, they found there were no adults at home. In addition, he said two space heaters had been left running inside the residence.
Ware did not say where Casteel had gone or how long she had been away from the home.
Casteel was booked into the Hall County Jail Monday, January 23 on two felony counts of cruelty to children.
The boys are in the custody of their grandmother, according to Ware.
Karen Benio Casteel
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/1/494203/hall-county-mother-accused-of-leaving-young-sons-ages-3-and-5-home-alone-overnight