Roswell mom Ruth Parada accused of locking kids outside in pajamas

Police arrested a north Fulton County woman who they said locked her young children outside in their pajamas on Saturday night.

Roswell police told Channel 2’s Tom Regan neighbors called police after hearing
screams from the children around 11 p.m.  An officer arrived and found the two children, ages 9 and 11, standing in the cold in bare feet.

"It was cold and raining outside. Subsequently, (the officer) found out from the kids the mother locked them out and told them they were bad, and wouldn't let them back into the apartment." Roswell police spokeswoman Lisa Holland said.

Regan went to the apartment off Belcourt Parkway to try to question the mother of the children, but there was no answer.

"Shame on her. Shame, shame," neighbor Linda Henderson said.

"I'm a mom, and kids are everything in my life. That's pretty shocking," said another resident, Gorgina Moreno.

Police said the mother also put her children at risk beyond exposure to the cold temperatures.

"In this day and age, anyone could have grabbed them. They were not dressed for the outside weather. You can't leave your kids outside like that," Holland said.

The children’s mother, Ruth Parada, is charged with two counts of the reckless conduct.