GREELEY, Colo. — Two parents face child abuse charges after they allegedly left five children alone in a Greeley hotel room for several days.
On July 26 around 11:45 p.m., officers with the Greeley Police Department responded to a room at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Greeley after receiving a call to check on the well-being of the occupants. Police said they spoke with a person who said her five younger siblings had been left in the room by her parents, according to an arrest affidavit.
She identified her parents as Brooke Benavente and Victor Benavente.
When police arrived at the hotel, they found five children — ages 16, 14, 10, 7 and 4 — in the room. One of the children told police that they had been in the room for about four days and their parents had not checked on them, according to the affidavit.
One of the children said Victor Benavente had just been released from jail on July 21 and Brooke Benavente had brought all the kids to the jail to pick him up. The child said they stayed in Fort Collins one night before checking into the Clarion Hotel on July 22. The parents left the kids that same day, the child told police, according to the affidavit.
Brooke Benavente dropped off $40 for the kids to eat on July 26, but gave it to one of the children in the hallway and never came into the room or checked on the other children, according to the affidavit. One of her daughters said she tried to call her mother on the phone, but she never answered.
When police were in the hotel room, they saw items belonging to both parents. Officers also saw empty bottles of soda and boxes of fast food, according to the affidavit.
Police took all five children into protective custody and brought them to the Greeley Police Department.
Officers found Brooke Benavente and Victor Benavente in the parking lot of the hotel, according to the affidavit.
Police learned Victor Benavente has a protective order and is restrained from seeing Brooke Benavente.
They were both transported to the North Jail Complex on charges of child abuse, according to the affidavit. Victor Benavente was also booked on a charge of violating a restraining order.