Priscilla Ann Salais of Texas is charged with child endangerment after police discovered two toddlers assaulted and tied up in her San Antonio home last weekend. Salais, who had legal custody of the children but is not their mother, was detained on Tuesday after a witness urged police on Saturday to do a welfare check on the children, a 1-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy.
Police claimed they discovered the girl “hogtied” and suffering from physical harm inside, while the kid was reportedly imprisoned in a cage. When officials came, both youngsters were stated to be “heavily filthy” and weeping. Salais was charged with two charges of child endangerment on Tuesday, and as officers brought her to a Bexar County prison, she told reporters that the claims were “bulls—t.”
Toddlers Suspected of Being ‘Hogtied,’ Beaten
On Saturday, San Antonio police said they received a 911 call from a mother who stated her grandkids were confined in a bedroom in Salais’ Highland Park house. When firemen arrived, they pushed their way into the room, where they claimed to have discovered two children. A one-year-old daughter was found on the floor with her wrists and feet bound together. According to an arrest document acquired by KSAT, the child had “obvious injuries,” including a black eye and a bloodied lip. A 2-year-old kid was allegedly kept in a playpen “totally covered” by a table and a baby carrier, resulting in a makeshift cage. “Both youngsters were highly soiled and wailing,” said Police Chief William McManus.
“Both youngsters were arrested and given over to CPS [Child Protective Services].” The children were temporarily put in Salais’ care while CPS investigated their parents for suspicions of physical abuse, according to the affidavit. According to KSAT, the children’s mother, a lady named Isabella, is Salais’ stepdaughter. “Tell [the toddlers] that I’m sorry, that I should never have trusted anybody with them, and that I just want them to come home immediately,” Isabella told the source. It’s unclear why the children were sent to Salais, who authorities say isn’t qualified to foster children in Texas.
Priscilla Ann Salais is charged with two felonies.
Salais was detained on two charges of felony child endangerment, according to online prison records. Chief McManus said the 37-year-old might face years in prison if convicted. Her bond seems to be set at $75,000 for each count. However, this might be a placeholder number given that she has yet to be arraigned. It is unclear when Salais will appear in court to address the allegations.
“Child endangerment entails a maximum punishment of two years, but I’ll tell you what she did to these children is inexcusable,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Two years seems nothing in comparison to what she did to these children.” Salais told reporters as she was led to a squad vehicle outside a San Antonio police station on Tuesday that they needed to “get [their] facts right.” She called the claims “bulls—t” and invited reporters to speak with her grandma.
According to one account, Salais’ father also denied the charges. “The kids she’s taken in out of the goodness of her heart are because that’s the sort of person she is,” he told KSAT. “Now, this sensationalized portrayal of her that is being depicted is just wrong.”
