Man Charged With Locking Small Children In Bedroom

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A man has been charged with child neglect after he allegedly left two children home alone, locked in a bedroom without any clothes on.

Police went to a Minneapolis home to arrest Annis Lorenzo Coleman, 34, on an unrelated assault case, according to court papers.

When officers arrived at the home, they saw two small children walking by a window. Officers asked the children, who were both born in 2008, if their parents were home and they said "no." Both children were unclothed and were not able to open the door of the bedroom they were in.

Coleman was then seen approaching the home but fled when he saw police. An officer was able to apprehend Coleman and give him the keys to the home.

According to the criminal complaint, when police entered the home they found "clothing and dirty dishes" everywhere. The room the children were in had a rope tied around the doorknob that was connected to a hallway door, which prevented the children from leaving.

When officers opened the door, they found more dirty clothes and a knife. The children approached police with open arms and told the officers they were hungry and thirsty.

Coleman admitted to leaving the children home alone, locked inside the room while he went to the store.

Coleman has been charged with two counts of child neglect, both gross misdemeanors. If convicted, Coleman faces at least one year in prison for each count.