South Austin Woman Charged With Leaving Kids Home Alone To Attend Zumba Class

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX -- Police this week charged a woman with leaving her young children unattended -- later to be found wandering the streets alone -- so that she could attend her Zumba class.

An arrest affidavit released Thursday outlined the details of the young mother's parental transgression. Gisela Sanchez-Flores is accused of leaving her three-year-old and 18-month-old home alone to attend her exercise class.

A neighbor later found the children wandering along busy roadway at the corner of Stassney Lane and Village Trail in the southeast Austing neighborhood.

Police said the woman want to her Zumba class on Tuesday at about 8:40 a.m. She took along another 18-month-old child she was babysitting with her, but left her own kids home because they were sleeping and she didn't want to be late to the exercise class, KVUE-TV reported.

The neighbor secured the 18-month-old while the child was walking across Village Trail in the midst of nearby traffic. Recognizing the child, the neighbor went to Sanchez-Flores' home to find it vacant. She then took the child to her own home and called 911, the news station reported.

Police located the older child some 100 yards from the home, crying and asking for his mother. The woman returned at 9:45 a.m. after her Zumba class, and police charged her with child abandonment charge. She was booked into Travis County Jail with a $5,000 bail.

See the full story at KVUE >>

>>> Booking photo via Travis County Jail records