MOTHER LEAVES CHILDREN UNATTENDED IN DANGEROUS CONDITIONS / ARRESTED BY SHERIFF DEPUTIES
El Paso County Sheriff's Office
3850 Justice Dr. El Paso, Texas 79938
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Deputy Jesse Tovar / Public Information Officer 
Direct: (915) 538-2223
Pager: (915) 533-0733 (#5370)
Release Date & Time: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 4:00 AM
WHO: El Paso County Sheriff's Office (UPPER VALLEY PATROL)
WHAT: Sheriff Deputies arrest mother after she leaves children unattended in dangerous conditions
WHERE: 500 Talbot, Canutillo, TX (Gas light Square - Mobile Home & RV Park)
WHEN: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 2:00 PM
WHY: ARREST MADE / Investigation Continues
Canutillo, TX-Tuesday afternoon 08-12-08 at approximately 2:00 PM, Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to Gas Light Square Mobile Home & RV Park located at 500 Talbot, Canutillo, TX in reference to an anonymous call regarding several children left alone at a residence. Deputies arrived minutes later and attempted to make contact on the said home. While approaching the front door of the residence, Deputies noticed a padlock locked on the outside of the front door preventing entry to the residence. Deputies knocked on the front door & through a window, observed 3 small children approach the door. Deputies noticed one of the children to be carrying an infant. Deputies made contact with the children who advised Deputies they were home alone & did not know where their mother was at. Deputies checked the back door and found it also to be secured. Deputies had to make entry to the home through a window of the residence in order to reach the children & check on their welfare. Upon entering the home, Deputies found the home to be unkept & very hot. Deputies also found the back door to be to be barricaded with objects stacked against the door preventing any exit for the children. It took several Deputies to remove the objects to open the back door.
Deputies determined that it was unsafe not only for the children to be left alone but to be left in those conditions. In the event of an emergency such as a fire, the children did not have any access to exit the residence endangering the children. A total of four children were found inside the home, ages: 2 months, 2 years-old, 8 years-old & 9 years-old. Deputies found all the children to be unharmed & alert- but all were scared, sweating & living in unkept conditions. Life Ambulance was requested as a secondary follow-up check on the children. About a half hour later, the mother arrived to the residence. After a brief investigation, Deputies took the mother into custody & placed her under arrest on 4 counts of Abandoning / Endangering a child w/ intent to return (State Jail Felony).
Prior to the mothers arrival, Deputies made contact with her over the phone & asked for her whereabouts. The mother hung up on Deputies & did not answer again. The mother was identified as Ivonne Adriana Vasquez (28) of the 500 block of Talbot, Canutillo, TX.
Vasquez is the mother of all the children found at the home with exception of the 9 year-old who was a niece. The names of the children will not be released because of their age. Sheriff Deputies also notified Family & Protective Services who responded to the scene & now have an active case on Vasquez. After a brief investigation by FPS workers, the children were turned over to relatives.
An Investigation continues- no other information is being released at this time.
ARRESTED:
Ivonne Adriana Vasquez (28)
Charges: 4 counts of Abandoning / Endangering a child w/ intent to return (State Jail Felony)-$4,000 TOTAL BOND
End of News Release
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2001 was the first Sheriff’s Office in the State of Texas to be Internationally Accredited from CALEA and is now the recipient of the First CALEA Tri-Arc award in Texas (4th in the Nation) to have accreditations in: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy.