County sheriff´s officials say the mother of an eleven-year-old girl who vanished for three days is behind on a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment.
Authorities say Diane Ponce was already attending a parenting class stemming from a child endangerment conviction two years ago. A sheriff´s spokesman says the girl, as well as Ponce´s two other children, ages five and 14, are being held in protective custody with county social services.
Twenty-year-old Alfredo Teran of Long Beach was taken into custody Friday, one day after the girl was found in a motel near her Stanton home. Police say the girl was picked up by a man in an SUV Tuesday evening and voluntarily accompanied him to the motel. Authorities believe the two met during a party line telephone chat.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:35 pm