Mokena Mother Arrested After Toddler Found Home Alone: Police

MOKENA, IL — A Mokena mother was arrested Sunday after police found her toddler alone and in unsafe conditions at the woman's home, according to Mokena Police Interim Chief Brian Benton.

Taylor E. Bania, 22, faces a misdemeanor charge of causing a child to be endangered, according to court documents.

Police were called at approximately 9 p.m. to the 19800 block of Center Street after a neighbor reported hearing one of Bania's children crying in the backyard of the home. Officers arrived to find the child alone, wearing nothing but a diaper and sitting on a porch, Benton said. The toddler is around 1-1/2 years old.

Police initially were not able to find anyone at the home, Benton said. Police entered the home through an open garage door, where they found the home to be "in disheveled conditions," according to Benton.

Police noted that there was an uncovered pool in the home's backyard, as well as a fire pit with embers still burning, according to Benton.

"These were very unsafe conditions for a toddler to be left alone in," Benton said.

Police took the child into protective custody and waited for Bania to return, Benton said.

Bania returned to the home approximately two hours later. With Bania was her 3-year-old child, Benton said.

Police took Bania to the Mokena Police Department for questioning, and learned that she and the 3-year-old were "at a fest" during the several hours the 1-and-a-half-year-old child was left alone, Benton said.

Mokena police contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, who then took custody of both children.

Bania was taken to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where she was booked at approximately 2 a.m. Monday morning, according to police records. She was being held on a $5,000 bond pending a court appearance Monday.

Bania was released on bond Tuesday, according to court records. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 6.