PAMPA, Texas -- An 11-year-old boy has been placed in protective custody after he was found living alone with several pets in a filthy house where he had been unsupervised for at least two months, authorities said.
When the boy was found last week, he told police he did not know where his mother lived and that he had lost her phone number. Pampa police Lt. Fred Courtney said they boy's mother apparently came by at least once a week and brought him food.
The mother, Margaret B. Stevens, 44, was charged Tuesday with abandoning or endangering a child, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. She was released from jail after posting $2,500 bond.
Mark Buzzard, Stevens' attorney, said she is innocent.
"She never went a day without seeing him," he said. "She would take food over there every day. She's always been very attentive to the boy."
Stevens was in the process of moving into her fiance's home and decided to let her son stay at the family's home to limit his depression over the death of his father about 17 months ago, Buzzard said.
When police arrived at the Panhandle home, they found garbage heaped in the kitchen and pet feces, urine and vomit on beds, furniture and the floor. Animal control officers removed several cats, a Chihuahua and a turtle.
Police said the boy did not appear malnourished but was scared and upset. The boy was to undergo a physical and mental evaluation, said Holly Campidilli, spokeswoman for the Department of Family and Protective Services.
When the boy was found last week, he told police he did not know where his mother lived and that he had lost her phone number. Pampa police Lt. Fred Courtney said they boy's mother apparently came by at least once a week and brought him food.
The mother, Margaret B. Stevens, 44, was charged Tuesday with abandoning or endangering a child, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison. She was released from jail after posting $2,500 bond.
Mark Buzzard, Stevens' attorney, said she is innocent.
"She never went a day without seeing him," he said. "She would take food over there every day. She's always been very attentive to the boy."
Stevens was in the process of moving into her fiance's home and decided to let her son stay at the family's home to limit his depression over the death of his father about 17 months ago, Buzzard said.
When police arrived at the Panhandle home, they found garbage heaped in the kitchen and pet feces, urine and vomit on beds, furniture and the floor. Animal control officers removed several cats, a Chihuahua and a turtle.
Police said the boy did not appear malnourished but was scared and upset. The boy was to undergo a physical and mental evaluation, said Holly Campidilli, spokeswoman for the Department of Family and Protective Services.
