Shania Bell is a 24-year-old woman that was arrested earlier this month for leaving her kids alone while she went to work.
What We Know:
- Ohio is one of many states experiencing a very snowy winter this year. Along with the annual chill, Ohio has also issued a code red for coronavirus. Earlier this month, Bell left her two daughters, age 2 and 10, alone in the motel they were living in for only a few hours. Bell had a shift to work at a nearby pizza restaurant and asked a close friend to check in on her daughters periodically. It appears she also informed the 10-year-old what time she could expect to be back to watch them.
- Acting on a tip, authorities found the 10-year-old girl and her two-year-old sister in their room at a Motel Six after 6 p.m. The daughter said her mother would be back at 10 pm. There is no law in Ohio stating a minimum age for children to be left home alone for short periods of time. Bell has pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangerment and is currently released on bail. Her hearing is scheduled for April, and her daughters have been put into their father’s custody.
- A GoFund Me was created by Bell’s mother, Danielle Hosey, with a $5,000 goal in order to assist the single mother. Bell’s story spread across the country like wildfire, and donors have managed to now raise over $165,000 in support for her. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego from Arizona shares his sympathy.
- “Women are damned if they do or damned if they don’t,” Gallego states. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down many schools and daycare providers, leaving single parents without many options.
- Bell claims “they’re my world” in reference to her kids in an interview. It’s no surprise the amount of support Bell has gotten since her arrest. The combination of a brutal winter and coronavirus has compounded all sorts of sympathy from strangers across the country for the single mother that didn’t have many choices left. If it were her choice, it is evident that Bell would never let her children leave her sight.
Many view Shania Bell as being mistreated by the system, and hopefully, authorities take note of the overwhelming support she has garnered over the last few weeks.
