Thousands of sympathetic netizens came out in support of a single mother of three who was arrested on child endangerment charges after allegedly leaving her young children alone in a motel room while she went to work.
According to 21 News, 24-year-old Shaina Bell of Ohio was charged with two counts of child endangerment after officers responding to a tip discovered her 10- and 3-year-old daughters in a Liberty Township motel after 6 p.m. The eldest child reportedly told cops that Bell was working a shift at a Little Caesars pizzeria and was expected to return by 10 p.m. that night.
The officers returned the children to their father and tracked Bell down at her workplace, where she told them that she has someone check in on her children every hour while she is at work.
She was still booked into Trumbull County Jail and charged with two counts of endangering children, which is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Bell pleaded not guilty to the charges against her during a hearing in Girard Municipal Court and was released on bail on Friday.
Bell’s story quickly resonated with netizens across the country, many of whom have struggled to keep their jobs and find child care during the pandemic.
After receiving an outpouring of messages from people wanting to help, Bell’s mother, Danielle Hosey, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help establish a safe and permanent home for the young family.
The campaign raised more than $165k in a week, with public figures such as Pierre “Pee” Thomas and Cleveland Cavalier Javale McGee contributing significantly to the fund.
Thomas explained why he donated $10,000 to the cause on Instagram: “My mom used to have to do the same thing when we were younger, not because of abandonment issues, but because people can’t afford child care while working at a pizza shop. She wasn’t at a nightclub.
She was at work.” Bell told WKBN that her three children, Faith, Jai’Sean, and Jade, ages 9, 7, and 3, bring her joy and that she appreciates the outpouring of support. They make me laugh. They are my world. I would never harm my children. My children are everything to me. That is all I do: go to work and care for my children. “That is all I do.”
“I had to go to work,” Bell stated on the day of her arrest. “My daughter decided she wanted to stay here.” My daughter informed me that this is where she wants to be, and I felt she was old enough to stay here with her sister for a few hours because my job is just down the street.” Although she has received some criticism since news of her arrest spread nationwide, Bell has chosen to view the situation positively.
“I never set blame on anybody for anything because at the end of the day, nobody left my kids in the hotel but me,” she told me. “I’ve cried a few times since the situation began. I’m just trying to keep a cool head and remain strong because that’s all I can do.
Many people are saying hurtful things to me, but many others are standing by my side and offering their support. I currently have over $100,000 in a GoFundMe account. I didn’t ask for it, but people gave it to me, and I’m just overwhelmed by what’s going on.”
