A 36-year-old Las Vegas mother has been charged with child abuse after police say she repeatedly locked her four-year-old daughter alone in a room, starved her and denied her access to a bathroom for hours.
Appearing shackled in court Friday, Laketha Moore said nothing as Judge Pro-Tem Eugene Martin told her she’s facing two child abuse and 31 child neglect counts – one for each of the days her daughter was allegedly kept in captivity.
Deputy Public Defender Xiomara Ferrera said outside court that she hadn’t seen the evidence yet. But she says Moore plans to fight the charges.
Judge Martin set bail at $620,000 and scheduled her next court appearance for March 29.
Moore was arrested Tuesday after police alleged her child was locked in an apartment bedroom whenever the mother was at work and church.
Investigators believe the abuse began February 5. For the next month, officials believe Moore locked the toddler inside a bedroom for 10-12 hours a day five to seven days, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Acting on a tip from a downstairs neighbor, police officers responded just before 2pm Tuesday to Moore’s apartment in the 1200 block of West Cheyenne Avenue.
Upon entering the home, officers found the four-year-old girl tied by her ankle to a bed post and covered in bruises from head to toe.
