Mother accused of leaving toddler tied to playpen

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/pflugerville-mother-accused-of-leaving-toddler-tied-to-877610.html
Pflugerville mother accused of leaving toddler tied to playpen
August 24, 2010

A Pflugerville mother is facing child endangerment charges after she left her 2-year-old tied to a playpen and alone with her three other children, according to an arrest affidavit filed Monday.

Veronica Cannon, 40, left the girl alone at their apartment in the 19600 block of North Heatherwilde Boulevard tied to a playpen with a "pink satin material rope wrapped around the child," the affidavit said. The material was tied to the child's shirt through the neck and arm holes, it said.

The child also had a mark from material previously being wrapped around her ankle, and "it cut into (the child's) ankle," the affidavit said.

Police went to the apartment shortly after 10 a.m. Aug. 1 after receiving an anonymous call, the affidavit said. A 10-year-old boy answered the door, and inside police found a 13-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and the 2-year-old.

The boys told police that they weren't sure where their mother was and that she had left the night before, the affidavit said.

"They stated to (police) that they had been told to tie (the toddler) up by their mother because (the toddler) would get up and wander around at night," it said.

Cannon was called to the home and taken into custody and the children placed with Child Protective Services, the affidavit said. Cannon told police she had been tying the toddler up to the playpen to control her since December 2009, it said.

"Veronica did not see any issues with tying the child to the playpen," it said.

Cannon faces a charge of abandoning or endangering a child, with bail set at $25,000, the affidavit said.