Mesa mom leaves baby home alone while gambling

A Mesa woman was arrested Saturday on suspicion of leaving her infant home alone with a wet diaper while she bought cigarettes, gas and gambled for two hours.

Ada Schwartzmann, 33, was arrested just before 8 a.m. on suspicion of child abuse, court records show.

Ada Schwartzmann. SUBMITTED

Police responded to Schwartzmann’s home in the 800 block of S. Ashbrook after a man reported his granddaughter, 10-month-old Aenea Schwartzmann, was left home alone by her mother.

The grandparents live next-door to the baby and their parents, and they knew that the little girl’s father was in Florida attending military school. So when the grandfather saw the mother’s car was gone from her home, he worried that it had been stolen, court records say.

The grandmother then went over and unlocked the door and walked into the home. She heard Aenea crying and found her in the master bedroom rocking in a swing. The grandparents called police.

Schwartzmann returned home while the police were on scene and she agreed to speak with officers, court records say.

Schwartzmann told police that she woke up about 1:15 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep, so she placed the sleeping baby in the swing and went to a nearby store for cigarettes and gas. After she returned home a friend asked Schwartzmann to go to the casino with her and that she’d pay for Schwartzmann to play. The mom then picked up her friend and the pair went to the casino for two hours.

Court records say that Schwartzmann believed it was safe to leave her child home alone for a short period of time because she was buckled in the swing.

Schwartzmann said she made a mistake and never meant to harm her child. Also, she said she worried about the baby, but that her friend didn’t want her to leave the casino.