Woman Accused Of Leaving Her Child Alone At The Mall

A Mentor woman faces a child endangerment charge and is accused of leaving her 4-year-old daughter alone for an hour in Great Lakes Mall while she went shopping.

Shoppers noticed the girl was left by herself in one of the mall's play areas Wednesday, Mentor Police Lt. Ken Zbiegien said.

There is a sign by the play area that says a guardian must stay with their children and supervise them, Zbiegien said.

The shoppers told mall's Guest Services Department who, in turn, made a call over the loudspeaker and even called store owners to see if they could find the girl's mother.

They also contacted mall security who called the police.

The girl was spotted by herself at 5:30 p.m., Mentor Police arrived at 6 p.m. and the mother -- Natalia Rosca, 37 -- returned to the play area at 6:30 p.m., Zbiegien said.

She told the police that she had been shopping at JC Penney.

"She said she didn't think that it was tht big of a problem and that she didn't plan to be gone that long," Zbiegien said.

The police disagreed and charged her with child endangerment, a first-degree misdemeanor. She was arraigned Friday morning in and released on a personal bond.

Rosca's next court hearing is scheduled for July 7.

Zbiegien said he was grateful to the shoppers and mall employees who did their best to find the girl's mother.

"People did what they needed to do to protect the child, which is great," he said. "That's what people should do."