New York woman left son, 4, tied to bush, police say
SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. - Police say a New York mother who couldn't handle her 4-year-old son tied him to a bush while she went into an apartment to baby-sit.
Spring Valley Police Chief Paul Modica says 22-year-old Mery Isabel Quinde-Castro left her son outside for more than 30 minutes Tuesday. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and released on $2,500 bail.
Modica says a neighbor called police after spotting the boy tied to a bush by a tether on his backpack.
"Her child, this 4 1/2-year-old boy, did not want to go into the apartment," Modica told CBS New York. "So she tied him to the bush until she could get him into the apartment."
Modica called the incident "very troubling."
"I mean, there were so many other things she could have done with the child," he added.
Quinde-Castro didn't answer reporters' questions about the charges. But her sister, Rosa Quinde-Castro, says she did nothing wrong and is a "good mother."
The boy was turned over to a relative.
Mery Isabel Quinde-Castro appeared in court Tuesday and was ordered held on $2,500 bail, which her sister posted, according to CBS New York. She is due back in court on Thursday.