WESTLAKE, Ohio — A Westlake woman was sentenced Wednesday in Rocky River Municipal Court after a judge found her guilty of leaving three children at home while she took a trip to Florida.
Judge Joseph Burke sentenced Dominique Knowles to five years of probation, 360 days of house arrest, plus fines and mandatory counseling. Knowles was found guilty on two misdemeanor counts of endangering children during a bench trial. The maximum sentence she was facing was six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines for each count.
"Whatever your reason for leaving your minor children home alone for three days, it does not justify your actions," Burke told Knowles at the sentencing hearing. "It is now time for you to become the mother that your daughters deserve, need and require.”
CASE BACKGROUND
According to a police report, a Westlake City Schools special education teacher called officers on Feb. 22 after one of her students, a 7-year-old girl, said she was home alone with her twin sister and 10-year-old sister. She also told her teacher that their mother, Knowles, was in Texas and checking on them via video while arranging for food to be delivered.
When police arrived at Knowles' Detroit Road apartment, they found the three children were indeed home alone.
One of the officers observed that the apartment was "in shambles," noting that "there was clothing, food, trash, and an unknown liquid covering the floor." The officer also observed "furniture stacked up in a corner, storage boxes stacked in another corner, and the apartment itself smelled of old food and body odor."
The girls told police their mom hadn't left them alone, but officers were questioning their story.
Officers were able to track down the grandmother of the children, who responded to the residence to care for the children. She told police that Knowles was not out of state and had her infant son with her.
Four days later, Knowles was interviewed by police, telling officers that she believed that her 10-year-old daughter could provide care for the other children while she was not home. Knowles refused to answer questions as to where she had been between Feb. 21-25, but said she had not left Ohio.
Westlake Law Director Michael Maloney says police tracked Knowles' phone and confirmed that she traveled to Miami, Florida, the day before they conducted the welfare check. Maloney said Knowles told police she was traveling to Miami to support her friend undergoing liposuction surgery.