OAKDALE, Calif. — Oakdale Police Department said an autistic five-year-old girl was taken to the hospital on Tuesday to remove a zip tie stuck around her neck.
According to police, the incident happened on the 200 block of 10th Avenue after the mother left her 16-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter home alone for about 12 hours. Police were dispatched to the area around 4:30 a.m.
Lavinia McClendon, the 37-year-old mother, was arrested after she returned home and is facing charges of child endangerment. Police said she didn't tell her son where she was going, how he could contact her and left him with a cell phone that was able to call 911 but was otherwise nonfunctioning.
The son was able to call for help after his sister got his attention.
Police said they also found a loaded .22 caliber gun, several grams of methamphetamine and nearly $800 in her car. Police added that the two children are safe and with Child Protective Services.
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