Man left four young children alone, Suffolk police say

Click to watch video

05:14 PM EDT on Monday, July 11, 2005

Reported by: Ramona Parks

Two young children were found alone on the street late Friday night in Suffolk, police said, and two others, eighteen months and an eight-month old, were sleeping in their unlocked apartment.

No adult was home and police have charged their father, Shi Devasquez, 32, with child neglect.

Police said his three and four-year-old son ran across Cedar Street about 11:00 p.m. and that someone reported they nearly got hit by a car. A neighbor got them, returned with them to their home and found an open door.

Suffolk police photo

Shi Devasquez

The neighbor told police the other two children sleeping and no one else was in the home.

Investigators said they determined that Devasquez was supposed to have been watching the children while his wife was at work, but he wasn’t there.

They believe the children had been left alone for four hours.

Devasquez surrendered on Saturday and was released on $5,000 bond Monday. He's due in court on Friday.

13News Investigates learned that he was convicted in 1992 for rape and sodomy and is listed on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry.

He's also wanted for not re-registering after moving to Cedar Street.