Mom Of Toddlers Found In The Street Cited, Father Of Boys In Custody
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4)- The mother of the toddlers found wandering alone in the street on Wednesday has been cited by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Their father has been arrested.
Jeffco Sheriff tweeted out that the boys' mother Amberay Snyder, has been cited for child abuse, for not insuring the kids were in capable hands when dropped off.
"The mother has some responsibility to ensure that the children are left in capable hands," said Jeffco Sheriff's Office spokesman Mark Techmeyer. "And we do not believe she did that which proved to be the fact with the kids being left on their own for over five hours."
Kyle McClelland, the father of the children, appeared by a video feed in court Thursday morning for the first of two mandated Thursday court appearances.
McClelland, 25, was arrested Wednesday night. Police believe he neglected his two toddler sons in a neglect case the judge called "very concerning."
The boys are a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. A retired teacher said she found them running around in her neighborhood without any shoes on in the 5400 block of South Quail Way.
Deputies searched for five hours before McClelland was located. It turns out he was at home a few blocks from where the boys were discovered.
McClelland told police he was napping at his grandmother's house at the time the boys were found and that he didn't realize they were gone, according to court documents.
"The bottom line, there are ponds in that area, there is traffic in that area, people backing out of their driveways. These boys were in serious danger for a long period of time until they were actually, rescued if you will, by a concerned citizen," said Techmeyer.
Snyder does not live with McClelland, they are divorced.
McClelland remains in custody on a $2,000 bond.
