APOPKA, Fla. — Two young children were left home alone while their 25-year-old dad was out selling drugs, police said. Now, those kids have been taken away from their mother.
The mother is a corrections officer at the Orange County Juvenile Detention Center and the dad who left the 6-year-old and 4-month-old is still on the run; he faces charges of child neglect.
A judge says the children's mother, Tiffany Lewis, knew the kids were living with crack cocaine in the house. That's why she lost custody of the children, as well.
In court Friday, Lewis claimed she did nothing wrong. Lewis said she left her kids with their father and went to work and had no idea there was crack cocaine in the house, but the judge still found probable cause to keep the kids away from her.
"This is clearly a dangerous environment for these children," the judge said.
Lewis was told she could only see her children under state supervision.
"The mother is not aware of any illegal drugs in her home," her attorney said.
State attorneys showed her snapshots of crack cocaine scattered around her home in baggies, right next to the baby formula. Apopka police took the pictures after they got a call that Lewis' 6-year-old son and sick 4-month-old son were home alone and hungry.
"Can you at least explain to us what..." WFTV reporter Q McCray tried to ask Lewis.
"No, get out of my face. Get out of my face!" she replied.
Lewis claimed in court her boyfriend, Bobby Sims Jr., was supposed to stay home with the kids. Police say he left to sell drugs. He's been arrested 30 times in the past and police say he told them, "Do your job, come get me" when they spoke to him over the phone.
Bobby Sims Sr. blamed his son and sides with his daughter-in-law.
"Do the right thing. Turn yourself in," he said.
The kids are in a group home now.
"Tiffany is the best mother, besides my mother, that I know. She does wonderful things for her children," Sims Sr. said.
DCF is investigating Sims Sr. and his wife to see if they are fit to take care of the children.
"Our next step is to complete the home study report and let the judge know they're a viable option or not," DCF Operations Manager Dawn Murray said.
The grandparents should know in the next 48 hours if they will get the kids. The parents' arraignment is on July 9.
Previous Stories: June 18, 2010: Kids Home Alone, Crack-Cocaine Found Inside