Police: Father Left Young Children Alone For Weekend
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Two young brothers walked a mile alone from their dad's home where police say they were left alone by their father for a weekend. A Good Samaritan, on his way to work, passed by the boys and took the scared and hungry brothers to police.
Six-year-old Sevastian, along with his 4 year-old brother Stephan, were on a weekend visit with their father—except their father was not home.
The boys' father, 48-year-old Jean Claude Maxime, turned himself in at police headquarters on Monday. He admitted in a statement to leaving his children home alone, police said, and remains in jail facing two counts of child neglect.
Adam Alper saw the boys on his way to work early Sunday at Broward Boulevard and Southwest 18th Avenue about cross a busy street alone. He stopped to help.
"It's something anyone would do," Alper said. "It's just natural."
On Tuesday, the boys, who were unharmed, were home with their mother Joanne Maxime.
The boys left their dad's home Sunday "because they were scared" said Broward County Judge John "Jay" Hurley.
"(They) advised they were terrified of you and they were not to tell anyone about being left at home," Judge Hurley said.
The judge also said that Alper, the stranger who picked them up, took them to the police station because they didn't know where their mother lived.
When they arrived the police station, Judge Hurley said, the boys told police that they were left home alone for the two days with no supervision or food.
Judge Hurley set bond for the father at $2,000. If he is released on bond he is to be fitted with an ankle monitor and not permitted to have contact with his children.
