GASTONIA, N.C. -- A 31-year-old mother accused of leaving seven kids home alone to have drinks with friends was arrested and charged with child abuse, police say.Shannon Sullivan was arrested Tuesday morning after police were called to her home for a welfare check.
"Yeah, it scared me when the police pulled up, but as far as a surprise, no," said neighbor Julie Allen.
Officers found seven children, ranging in age from 3 to 10-years-old, home alone in the apartment on Sims Circle. Five of the children were Sullivan's and two belonged to friends.
"A small child came to the door and they asked where the parent was. She said that the mother was gone," said M.A. Chambers with the Gastonia Police Department.
Sullivan returned home about 30 minutes after officers arrived saying she went with friends to have a few drinks, according to the Gastonia Police Department.
"Yeah, I witnessed her drinking a whole lot," Allen said.
We checked with a national database and found this is not the first time Sullivan has been in trouble. She was arrested for DUI in 1997 and in 2007 she was cited for not getting her kids to school. Both of those cases occurred in Ohio.
Sullivan is in the Gaston County Jail under $75,000 bond.
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