A mother hoping to hit a lucky streak at a Bucks County casino is now facing child endangerment charges after she allegedly left her kids in the car while gambling.
Sharon Balek, 35, was arrested on August 1 at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa. for making her two daughters wait six hours in the family’s car while she played slots, police say.
The 16- and 8-year-old girls sat in the parking lot from 6:30 p.m. Saturday until 12:30 a.m. Sunday, police say.
Authorities were alerted to the situation after the 16-year-old asked another patron if she could borrow a cell phone to call her father, police say. Apparently, the both the girl’s and her mother’s phone batteries had died.
Sharon Balek, 35, was arrested on August 1 at Parx… When police arrived and questioned Balek, she said she lost track of time while inside the casino. Neither child was hurt.
On her Facebook page, Balek wrote “my kids and husband are my world i will live and die for them mark my words.”
Balek’s arrest is the sixth time this summer parents have been witnessed neglecting their children at the casino.
In one case, a mother attempted to bring her 5-year-old son inside the casino to gamble. She was arrested after being denied entry several different times.
Bensalem Police say they’re cracking down on such cases.
“We are taking a stance that if you leave your child in a car, you will be prosecuted,” Sgt. Andrew Aninsman said.
Charges were brought forth in three of the cases — including Balek’s incident, police say. But the other three alleged suspects were able to leave the casino’s grounds before police could arrive.
