(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Two Kenosha siblings are facing felony child neglect charges after a 3-year-old boy was discovered home alone in squalid and unsafe conditions — including a loaded firearm left within reach and an open second-story window directly beside his bed.
Monica D. Mata, 28, and Cruzito A. Padilla, 22, were both formally charged Wednesday in Kenosha County Circuit Court with one count each of Neglecting a Child Where Specified Harm Did Not Occur, involving a child under six. The Class I felony carries a maximum penalty of three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
During their court appearances, the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office requested bail in the “multiple-thousand-dollar” range. Court Commissioner William Michel II set bail at $750 cash for each defendant. Padilla is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on July 3. Mata will return on July 10.
According to the criminal complaints, deputies with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office were executing a search warrant related to drug activity at the siblings’ shared residence in the 2100 block of 45th Street just after 6:30 a.m. on June 25. Before entry, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that had just left the home and discovered Mata and Padilla inside.
When questioned, both stated that the only person remaining inside the house was a toddler — Mata’s 3-year-old son. Deputies entered the home and found the child sleeping alone on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom. The room was described as dangerously cluttered, with objects piled waist-high and only a narrow walkway to access the bed. A pet stair led directly from the mattress to an open second-story window, which was just inches from the top of the bed.
A deputy noted the situation posed an extreme fall risk to the child, who was left entirely unsupervised. A Blink security camera that could have been used to remotely monitor the child had been unplugged and moved by a detective. Mata initially claimed Padilla was not returning to the home after dropping her off at work but later changed her story and said he was coming back to watch the child. She refused to answer when asked how she ensured the child’s safety in her absence.
Padilla told deputies he believed the child was asleep in the living room and being monitored by camera. He was visibly confused when informed that the child was actually found in the upstairs bedroom and claimed Mata had been watching the camera feed on her phone during their drive. He also said a neighbor could check on the child in case of emergency.
Further search of the home uncovered a fully loaded .38 special revolver sitting on top of an entertainment center in a second upstairs bedroom that had no door. The firearm — unsecured and clearly visible — was placed just 24.5 inches off the floor. According to the complaint, the child is approximately 37 inches tall and fully mobile, making it easily accessible to him.
In a later statement to deputies, Padilla said the firearm belonged to his mother and was kept there “for protection.”
The entire house was described by deputies as unkempt and disorderly, with dangerous clutter throughout.
Both defendants were taken into custody and booked into the Kenosha County Jail. They have no prior criminal records listed in the complaints. The investigation remains ongoing.
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4 Responses
But why isn’t the parents being charged as all?
Just a $750 bail? This is insane–their drug money can easily pay that quickly and they can flee. These two belong locked up and far away from children!
Import the 3rd world….
Bottom of the barrel