Louisiana Mother Arrested for Locking Children on Balcony While at Work

A Louisiana mother has been arrested after locking her two young children outside on the balcony of her apartment and leaving them unattended while she was at work.

Get our free mobile app

On Thursday evening around 7pm the Shreveport Police Department were dispatched to the Villa de Lago Apartments located in the 3500 block of Milan Street.

KSLA reported that the Police Department received a call about two young children who appeared to be locked outside with no supervision.

A Concerned Neighbor Reports Seeing Children Unattended on Balcony

A neighbor became concerned when they noticed the children on a second-floor balcony without a guardian and immediately contacted the apartment complex's property manager.

The Villa de Lago Apartments' property manager reported the situation to the police, and they arrived on the scene shortly after.

Upon their arrival, they confirmed that two children, age 3 and 5, had indeed been locked outside on a balcony without adult supervision.

Mother Lies About Leaving Children With Babysitter

Shreveport police spoke with Jessica Ogula, the mother of the two children, who claimed she left them under the supervision of a babysitter.

However, upon further investigation, police determined this was untrue and that the young children had been left outside while she went to work.

Police also determined that, unfortunately, this wasn't the first time she left them unattended while at work. They commented on the situation in a statement saying, "This case is heartbreaking. While we at SPD understand that parents sometimes face incredibly difficult circumstances, the safety and well-being of children must always come first."

The two children reportedly were barefoot, wearing dirty clothes, and smelled of urine.

Their mother was arrested and charged with two counts of child desertion, and the two children are now in the custody of a responsible individual.

There are no further details at this time. This is an active investigation.

This is a developing story, and the KPEL News Team is working to provide additional coverage for Acadiana. Updates will be shared as they become available, so download the KPEL News app via Google Play or in the App Store and subscribe to breaking news alerts to get the latest information sent directly to your mobile device.

You can also use the KPEL app to submit a news tip, share a traffic update, or chat directly with our on-air team.

Be sure to bookmark our latest site, wearelafayette.net, where we provide more local news coverage as well as lifestyle and community features.

To report errors, omissions, or other concerns regarding the content above, send emails to news@kpel965.com.