Texas mom arrested after children drowned

IRVING Texas -- A grieving mother of three drowned children bonded out of a Dallas-area jail Saturday, according to CBS DFW.

A court document says Patricia Allen was found staring at the apartment swimming pool in Irvin, Texas where three of her children, who police say couldn't swim, had disappeared underwater on Wednesday, June 24. the station reported. However, her husband and friends vehemently dispute this description, saying an innocent, heartbroken woman is behind bars.

"Patricia Allen is far from a criminal," said Anthony Bond, a family spokesman, according to CBS DFW. "She is a loving, caring, and one of the sweetest people I've met for the first time. And she's a grieving mother."

One child died that day. Two others were pronounced dead four days later.

On Friday July 10, Irving police arrested Allen, 30, for a single count of injury to a child, reports the station. According to court documents, a witness reportedly said Allen was distracted by a cell phone and not watching her three children in the pool. Two other witnesses claim that Allen was not reacting when they arrived on the scene to see the three children missing.

"[They] walked up to the pool and saw the mother sitting on the edge of the pool looking outward toward the deeper end of the pool and also observed that the water was still and calm, that there was no flapping or splashing or bubbles in the water," Irving Police Spokesman James McLellan reportedly said. "It was at that point that the mother stepped out."

"Everybody's saying that she's an irresponsible mother, squash that!" Bond said emphatically. "It's not true!"

Patricia Allen's husband was too distraught to go on camera, but told the CBS station that the children, ages 9, 10 and 11, could swim well enough to be in the pool.

Child Protective Services took two of Allen's surviving children, ages 3 and 6, into custody. They were reportedly with her at the time of the incident.

The family spokesman says all this happened just as several churches and neighbors had begun donating toys to the family, offering help and even adopting the family and moving them into a house in an attempt to give them a fresh start, says the station.

"This is inhumane what CPS has done," Bond said.

Bond said churches planned to reach out to Allen and to post her $50,000 bond on Monday, reports the station.