LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – A Lake Havasu City woman has pleaded guilty to leaving her young children home alone when she left her residence for several hours in May. The plea agreement proposed for Natalie Lopez almost fell apart because the defendant had difficulty accepting the prosecutor’s factual basis for two child abuse convictions.
Lopez, through an interpreter, took issue with the allegation by police and deputy county attorney Rod Albright that she abandoned her five- and seven-year-old children to go out to party. Instead, she claimed she left them unattended because she had to go to a party to pick up her mother-in-law.
She told police she left at 2 a.m. on May 24, about 75 minutes before she was arrested for false reporting for refusing to tell police where her kids were because she did not want to involve the Department of Child Services. Authorities aren’t certain how long she left the children unattended as the crimes she pleaded guilty to are dated between May 23 and 24.
Her children were in good health when contacted by police, and required no medical attention.
Lopez nearly derailed her deal by failing to admit that her children were endangered while unattended. Lopez finally conceded the point to keep the plea agreement alive.
Lopez will be spared prison but could get up to a year in jail when she’s placed on probation for two child abuse convictions. They’ll be designated as misdemeanors, provided she successfully completes probation.
