Mother accused of neglecting two children
By NICHOLAS LEDDEN
The Daily Inter Lake
A woman accused of neglecting her two young children was charged with two counts of felony criminal endangerment Thursday, according to the Flathead County Attorney's Office.
Rachel Marie O'Brien, 24, left her 2-year-old and 3-year-old girls home alone for more than nine hours in squalid conditions, according to court documents.
Kalispell police were called to O'Brien's Liberty Street apartment on the evening of Aug. 4 after a concerned neighbor noticed the two children had been left alone all day.
Before police arrived, the neighbor and the apartment complex's security guard pulled off one of the unit's screen windows and removed the two crying children, according to the documents.
When police entered the apartment, they found half-eaten food spilled all over the floor, a piece of toilet paper with feces on it laying in the middle of the room, and a knife balanced within the children's reach.
"The apartment was cluttered. The TV was on with only loud static coming from it," court documents show.
"The kitchen garbage was overflowing with feces-smeared toilet paper and feces-filled diapers. A frying pan with rotting food was on the counter," according to the documents.
In the bathroom, officers discovered feces smeared all over the toilet and a sheet.
The 3-year-old allegedly was found wearing a stained T-shirt and diapers. The 2-year-old was found in only a diaper.
The children were taken by the Department of Child and Family Services.
"We have good evidence in this case," said Kalispell Det. Sgt. Brian Fulford.
O'Brien, who is employed at a restaurant near the intersection of U.S. 93 and West Reserve Drive, was at work Aug. 4 from about 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., timecards show. Police recovered her children at about 8:30 p.m.
O'Brien told officers she didn't come home after work because she knew her children were going to be "gross, have poopy butts, and going to need a bath from getting into stuff," court documents said.
When O'Brien was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, she was also in possession of drug paraphernalia.
At the time of her arrest, O'Brien was on probation for writing bad checks. She received a five year deferred sentence in 2004 after being convicted of that charge and for making false statement to an officer. She is also currently awaiting trial on felony theft charges.
If convicted, O'Brien faces as long as 20 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com