Mom leaves teen son, 7 dogs alone for 2-week trip to Las Vegas, Florida cops say

A mom left her teenage son without the “necessities to survive” while she went on vacation to Las Vegas for two weeks, according to Florida authorities.

She left her son in charge of seven dogs that were found to be in poor condition and were the original reason for the welfare check, deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an arrest affidavit.

Now, the 37-year-old mom is charged with neglect of a child, four counts of confinement of an animal without food and three counts of cruelty to animals, records show.

McClatchy News is not identifying the mom to protect the identity of her son.

Deputies got a call about potential animal neglect on Aug. 5 and went to a home in Palatka, where they met an older teenager, according to the sheriff’s office.

The teen said he had been home alone for about two weeks while his mom was on vacation in Las Vegas, deputies said. Different people had come to check on him, and he had been relying on them to bring him food, according to investigators.

He showed deputies the home, which was covered in animal excrement, and he said it’s been this way for years because his mom doesn’t want to clean it, authorities said.

The deputies said they found seven dogs throughout the house in poor condition, without enough food or water.

The mom was booked in Putnam County jail on her birthday, Aug. 5.

Palatka is about a 60-mile drive southwest from Jacksonville.