ESCO: Woman leaves 7 kids in hotel

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WALA) - A Pensacola woman is behind bars facing child neglect charges after allegedly leaving her seven children alone in a hotel room.

 On July 18, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said they received complaints about noise at Pensacola's Home Stay Lodge.

 "They responded to reports of loud noises coming from one of the hotel rooms. And when they got there, no one would come to the door. So the manager assisted them by opening the door, and they found seven unattended children there, ranging in ages from 1 to 13," said sheriff's office spokeswoman Melissa Rawson.

 Their mother, 31-year-old Lotosha Cunningham, was nowhere to be found.  According to the report, the 13-year-old told deputies he had no way to contact her since Cunningham didn't have a cell phone.

 So, deputies waited until Cunningham came back with a man in a truck.  And from clues gathered inside that vehicle, deputies said the trip was meant for more than groceries.

 "When the officers made contact with her at the vehicle, she was visibly upset. She did admit to leaving the children unattended, claiming that she had to run to the grocery store," Rawson said.  "But she also did admit to smoking marijuana while she was in the vehicle with one of her eight children."

 The 2-year-old was found asleep in the back seat.  The child was described as lethargic upon waking up, but deputies say the child is now doing much better.

Cunningham was spared an arrest that night since deputies had their hands full placing the children with family members. But they came back Thursday with a warrant.

 FOX10 News spoke to state attorney Bill Eddins who said that child neglect is a third degree felony.

 If Cunningham is convicted on all eight counts, she could face 40 years behind bars. But, Eddins said, that maximum penalty is unlikely.

 It's not known how long the children were left alone, but the sheriff's office is just glad they're okay.

"It's not always the case that when seven children, or any children, are left unattended that they are unharmed," Rawson said.  "Sometimes they will wander off, get lost, or something could have happened to one of the children. And a 13-year-old may not be prepared to respond in the case of an emergency."

Cunningham is currently behind bars with a bond set on $40,000. She'll appear in court next month.