Gambling mom accused of leaving tot alone

Gambling mom accused of leaving tot alone

A local woman is being held on $40,000 bond after her arrest Tuesday for the alleged neglect of her 5-year-old daughter.

Authorities contend that Shannon Marie Walls, 33, left her child alone to go gambling.

According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, Bartlesville police received a report around 7:53 p.m. Friday that there was a lost 5-year-old girl. The report states that that the little girl could not find her mother. A 15-year-old girl had brought the child home from the playground at Jane Phillips Elementary School. The 15-year-old’s mother reported that they knew the child from around the neighborhood and that her mother is Shannon Walls.

The woman said that after the child was brought to her house, she had been taking her back to her house about every 30 minutes but there was never anyone home. Eventually, the woman called police.

When interviewed, the 5-year-old said that when she came home from school at 3:30 p.m., “her mom was not home.” Reportedly, she started playing outside and decided to walk to the nearby Jane Phillips Elementary School to play on the playground. She played with children at the school until the other children started leaving to go home. She then asked an older girl to stay with her “because she was scared and couldn’t find her mommy.”

She said that the older girl took her to her house and that they went to “her house several times to see if her mommy was home, but she wasn’t.” When the child was asked where she thought her mother was, she reportedly said, “at the casino.”.

Walls has previous arrests in Washington County.

Source: Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise