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Woman faces charges after kids found alone

2 children about to cross Route 8

Last month, two unsupervised toddlers were about to cross Route 8 in Penn Township when a couple stopped the children and called the police, according to court documents.

Kyrsten D. McHenry, 25, the mother of one of the children, was arraigned Wednesday in court for two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children.

Police allege she left the children unattended for more than 30 minutes while in the bathroom.

Court documents reveal that as the Good Samaritan couple entered the Port O'Call Development June 4, they noticed a little boy and girl holding hands while walking on Port-O-Call Boulevard toward Route 8, where the speed limit ranges from 45 to 50 mph. When they asked the children where they were heading, the boy pointed toward Route 8 and said he was going home.

The boy told the couple his mother was home and his father was at work.

The couple stopped the two 4-year-olds, and while the wife stayed with the children to call police, her husband drove around the trailer park searching for the children's guardian.

When Penn Township police arrived, they examined the children to determine their general condition, according to the police report.

The boy was shirtless and shoeless, while the girl wore a bright-colored dress.

However, the children were unable to tell police where they lived. The husband soon returned and led police to their guardian.

Police report McHenry was “visibly agitated” and “began to verbally scold the male child on the porch.”

McHenry explained to police that she had gone to the bathroom and when she was finished, the two children were gone. She told police the girl was her daughter and the boy was her nephew.

Police pressed McHenry on how long she was in the bathroom.

She allegedly told police she was on a video chat while in the bathroom. Using the call's time-stamp, police determined the children traveled a quarter-mile in 30 to 45 minutes, according to the report.

McHenry was released on an unsecured $5,000 bond and her next court appearance is scheduled for August.

If she doesn't appear at the hearing, an arrest warrant will be issued and she will be responsible for paying the bond.

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