Austin mother kept children without heat, water
Published 11:20 am Thursday, April 28, 2011
An Austin woman accused of housing her children in a home with no heat, water or garbage service during the winter has pleaded guilty to neglect.
Oralia Alejandra Kalinchuk-Perez, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Mower County Court. In exchange, a second count of child endangerment was dismissed.
Officers visited the woman’s home on Jan. 3 and found garbage scattered inside and outside, with flies infesting the kitchen and living room, according to court records. Kalinchuk-Perez had been using the oven for heat because her heat and water had been shut off in the fall, she told officers. She had also lost garbage service in the fall, but got it back and was trying to clean up the house, she told investigators.
Court documents report five children — ranging from months old to 16 years — lived with Kalinchuk-Perez.
Kalinchuk-Perez admitted to officers she needed help getting the house back in order since she had been struggling to keep up with the mess, according to the court complaint.
According to a court complaint, two of the children were in protective custody and three were staying with their father as of January.
She is scheduled for sentencing on June 17.