Marion County mom facing neglect charges after allegedly breaking into apartment, leaving children alone inside

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Marion County mom is accused of breaking into an apartment and leaving her three young children, ranging from 1 year old to 6 years old, alone in it, according to deputies.

Shakeria Carter is facing neglect charges after police received an anonymous complaint about children being left alone in an apartment unsupervised. The children were ages 1, 5 and 6, and left inside a unit at the Berkeley Point Apartments near Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala, according to police.

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A security guard spotted one of the children wandering around outside the apartment a few times, according to police. A witness told officers they last saw Carter exiting the apartment without the children.

Police learned the apartments where the kids were found belonged to someone else. Investigators said they believe Carter broke into the apartment by going through the front window, which contained an air-conditioning unit.

Eventually, Carter returned to the scene after police said she was gone for an hour. While police questioned her, she handed her kids over to a relative then ran off, according to police.

She was caught at the complex days later and taken to jail. The children were taken by the Florida Department of Children and Families and placed in a relative’s home.

According to the arrest report, there was an open investigation into Carter in reference to neglect of the children.

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