MISSISSIPPI — A Laurel couple is facing multiple charges after police say they locked three young children out of a motel room while they used drugs inside.
According to the Laurel Police Department, officers were alerted after staff at the Budget Inn on Ellisville Boulevard noticed three small children wandering outside alone late at night. The motel is located near Oak Park Boulevard in what authorities described as a high-crime area.
Police said the children — twin 2-year-olds and a 4-year-old — had been locked out of the room for an extended period of time.
Officers identified the adults inside the room as 33-year-old Opal Pearce and 34-year-old Christopher Whatley. Authorities said both appeared to be under the influence of drugs, and some amount of drugs was reportedly found inside the room.
Pearce and Whatley were each arrested and charged with three counts of child abuse, along with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Both were given $15,000 bonds during an initial court appearance before Laurel Municipal Court Judge Kyle Robertson.
Police said Pearce is the children’s biological mother, and additional neglect charges may be pursued. Investigators said it was not immediately clear whether Whatley is the father of any of the children.
The case remains under investigation.
