A Twentynine Palms mother and her boyfriend are accused of child abuse, after her children were found wandering in the desert Wednesday morning. According to the Sheriff’s Department, a resident found the 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old children alone in the desert near the 74600 block of Samarkand Avenue just after 11 a.m. None of the children was wearing shoes or had any water, and there was little shade in the area. The children told deputies they lived in a truck, and their parents told them to leave. The resident who found the children bought them a pizza, and that they had been on their own for about 45 minutes by the time they were found. Deputies located the children’s mother, Mary Bell, 34, and her boyfriend, Gary Cassle, 29, near Broad and Amboy Road in Twentynine Palms. Deputies say the Bell and Cassle said they left the children alone in the desert as a punishment; the children told deputies they felt their parents didn’t want them anymore. The temperature at the time was in the mid-90s. In addition, there was little to no food or water in the truck. After an investigation, Mary Bell and Gary Cassle were arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse, booked at the Morongo Basin Jail, with their bail set at $100,000 each. The children were given to Child Protective SErvices.
TWO ARRESTED AFTER THREE CHILDREN ARE LEFT OUT IN THE DESERT AS PUNISHMENT
