Mom accused of leaving kids alone while she went out drinking

A Wauwatosa mother accused of leaving her children alone at night while she went out to drink beer was charged with child neglect Monday.

Meghan Saenz, 27, faces three misdemeanor counts of neglect - one for each of her children, ages 5, 2 and 6 months. A recovering alcoholic, she put her kids to bed and took off to drink and walk around the city until the early hours of the morning, then she spent the night at a friend's house, police said.

According to a Wauwatosa Police Department report:

After a drug binge three weeks earlier, Saenz moved in with her mother at a residence in the 6800 block of Blanchard Street while she attended an outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Her mother had gone out for the evening on Sunday, only to return at 1:30 a.m. to find the kids awake and crying in their beds.

The mother also found empty bottles of mouthwash, which she believed her daughter drank for the alcohol content.

She remains in jail until her Oct. 26 court date. The case was referred to the Bureau of Child Welfare, and the children remain in the custody of their grandmother.