Three Children Locked Inside Burning S.C. Home
BEREA, S.C. --
Greenville County deputies said that the mother of three children who were locked inside a burning home Tuesday morning, and her boyfriend, have been charged with Unlawful Neglect of a Child.
The fire happened at 115 Batson Drive, Lot 25 after 9 a.m.
Deputies said that the mother of the children had padlocked the home when she left to take her husband to work. They said while she was gone, the fire started.
Firefighters said that the children were able to escape the home by using a chair to break a window. They said that the 13-year-old girl suffered cuts to her arm while trying to escape through a window. They said one boy, 9, was treated for smoke inhalation. The third child, a 16-year-old boy, was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
A neighbor told FOX Carolina that the children were left at home by themselves a lot.
Angel Gilliland, 31, the mother of the children, and her boyfriend, 42-year-old Alberto Rodriquez-Carrera, were each charged with three counts of unlawful neglect of a child by a legal custodian.
The children have been placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but deputies said it appears to have started near the stove.
Both Gilliland and Rodriguez have gone before a judge, and were granted $60,000 bond. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison.
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