Last September, a mother from Iowa left her four children, all 12-years-old or younger, home alone with a gun while she packed up her suitcase and boarded a plane bound for Germany. The woman was in Europe for 11 days during which the police took her underage children out of the house and placed them under child protection services.
After returning from her holiday, the mum-of-four was charged with four counts of child endangerment – but what really shocked the police was her lack of concern about the situation; the mum was absolutely confident with leaving a gun in the hands of her underaged kids without adult supervision for 11 days.
Erin Lee Macke left her four children of age 12 or younger alone at home while she vacationed in Europe for 11 days
Mum Left her Children Unsupervised for 11 Days
31-year-old Erin Lee Macke is mother to four young children – two 12-year-old twins and two younger daughters of the age 6 and 7 – but seriously lacks the parenting skills to look after her kids. In September, the Iowan mom decided to visit her family in Germany for 11 days, but didn’t take her children with her.
Instead of seeking adult supervision or hiring a babysitter to look after the four underaged children, she simply decided to leave them at home all by themselves until she returned. To make matters worse, the unsupervised children were left in possession of a gun which endangered their lives.
Lt. Lynn Aswegan, who works in the Johnson Police Department, said that when Macke returned from her trip, she was shocked to discover that her children had been taken away by child protection services; the 31-year-old genuinely believed that the kids were able to look after themselves and were in no real danger – even in the presence of a harmful weapon.
Convicted with Child Endangerment
Macke was convicted with four counts of child endangerment (one count for each of her children). After entering an Alford plea deal, she admitted that there was enough evidence to convict her of child endangerment, however she denied being guilty of any of the charges.
The mother was able to avoid jail time after pleading not guilty but the court sentenced her to two years on probation after ruling that she was unfit to act as the legal custodian for her four children.
Aswegan said that judging from the negligent mom’s Instagram account which was regularly updated with new photos during her trip to Germany, it was clear that her holiday was purely for recreational purposes and she didn’t have any good reason for leaving her children unsupervised.
Macke’s ex-husband made a comment after her arrest on Thursday saying that he was infuriated by his former spouse’s actions but wasn’t surprised by her irresponsible behavior.
Two-Year Probation Sentence
In her defense, the Iowan mom said that she had asked her neighbor to check up on the kids for the first two days of her absence, after which her brother had agreed to watch them until her return on October 1.
After spending the first night alone in an empty house, the father of the children found out about Macke’s actions after the youngest daughter called him to say that she was scared to sleep alone at night. The incident was reported to the police who removed the children from the house and put them under child protection services.
Lt. Aswegan told local news reporters that the 12-year-old twins were cooking dinner for their younger siblings when police showed up at the house. The older children led one of the officers to Macke’s bedroom where she had left a gun out in the open. The 31-year-old mum was contacted by the authorities while she was posting photos on social media from Germany.
Erin Lee Macke is not allowed to meet her children or have any form of direct or indirect contact with them during her two-year probation sentence
Aswegan said that she told the police that she was confident that the children were able to look after themselves and there wasn’t any reason for concern. After returning home a week later, she was arrested and charged with four counts of child endangerment.
The judge ordered Macke to stay away from her children during the probation period and not have any direct or indirect contact with them. The younger children are now placed under primary custody of their biological father whereas the older twins who have a different father are staying with relatives while the court determines custody arrangements for them.
