A Lake Station couple were charged Friday with leaving three children under the age of 7 alone in a residence that was in disarray.
Gabriel Vidarri, 29, and Jovette Alexis McCarthy, 39, face three counts apiece of neglect of a dependent that places a dependent in danger, a Level 6 felony.
Around 9:32 p.m. on Oct. 24, police responded to a residence in the 2700 block of Wells Street in connection with an auto theft incident, according to the probable cause affidavit. An East Chicago woman had called police after she let her cousin use her 2012 Ford, which his girlfriend had stolen.
Officers knocked on the front door and didn’t observe any movement before a 6-year-old girl looked out the window, records state. Police asked if her parents were home and she said they were not home. She told them she was home alone with her brother and sister, court records state. She told police that she couldn’t open the door because a couch was blocking it.
Officers walked around to the back door, where they entered, and noticed the kitchen area in disarray — with old food on the floor, sharp knives accessible on the counter, and open alcohol within reach of children, the affidavit states.
Vomit was visible on the floor near the stairs and there was a strong odor of feces and urine inside the house. A 2-year-old girl was lying on the couch next to a 1-year-old boy who was sleeping, records state.
Police called the Department of Child Services due to the living conditions and abandoning three toddlers in the residence unsupervised.
The complainant said Vidaurri called him to jump the battery of the vehicle that he was borrowing, court records state. Once he started the vehicle, McCarthy said she was not staying at the residence with the kids and proceeded to get into the driver’s seat. She drove north through the yard, off the raised curb, and headed west on 27th Avenue at high speed, the affidavit states. The complainant said he saw Vidaurri run after the vehicle.
Later, a DCS worker arrived, records state. While she assessed the scene, police saw a man pacing back and forth at the intersection of 27th Avenue and Wayne Street, who was identified as Vidaurri. He currently has five active warrants in Lake and Porter counties, court records state. He was arrested and transported to the Lake County Jail.
