DILLINGHAM: Police filed a charge of first degree child endangerment against Daneya McDowell, 22, after finding her two young children locked alone in a Fairview Drive apartment early Saturday morning.
According to a press release, police say McDowell was driven to the Willow Tree bar around 9:00 p.m. Friday by her babysitter, who stayed to drink with her instead of going back to watch the kids. McDowell told police when she got home sometime around 3:30 a.m., she was locked out and no babysitter was present.
Officers were able to enter the apartment and found the two children were fine.
According to Alaska statute, endangering the welfare of a child occurs when a parent or legal guardian "intentionally deserts the child in a place under circumstances creating a substantial risk of physical injury to the child." Charged in the first degree, it is a class C felony.