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Cops: LI Mother Left 4 Kids Unattended In Car As She Drank At A Bar

HOLBROOK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - A Long Island mother who went out drinking Saturday night was due in court after allegedly leaving her four children unattended in a car.

According to Suffolk County Police, Maria Cepparo, 40, left her four kids in an unlocked car while she drank at Momo's Sports Bar and Grill, at 350 Union Ave. in Holbrook.

As 1010 WINS' Gene Michaels reported, Greg, a co-owner of the bar, said his manager noticed something strange when Cepparo and a man walked into the bar on Saturday night.

Cops: LI Mother Left 4 Kids Unattended In Car As She Drank At A Bar

"They had ordered a side order of French fries to go, walked them outside to their car, and about a half hour later, they did it again," Greg said.

So the manager went outside and found the car with four children inside. She called police.

Cepparo, of Bay Shore, was arrested shortly after midnight, Suffolk Police announced.

Cepparo's children, a 13-year-old son, who is autistic, an 8-year-old boy and 6-year-old twin daughters, were left in the car with no heat and the doors unlocked.

The car was parked illegally in a fire zone, police said.

She was due to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip Sunday on charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

The four children were left in the care of their grandmother.

Michaels found the accused in the parking lot picking up her car at the bar Sunday afternoon. She refused to comment, but a person with her wanted to know why Michaels was "terrorizing" her for making a "mistake."

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