By Rosemary Sobol, Chicago Tribune –
CHICAGO — Child endangerment charges have been filed against an Uptown couple accused of flying to Las Vegas and leaving their two children, 12 and 9, home alone for nearly two days, police said.
The couple took the trip last month, but the charges were not filed until this week, according to police. Shanpreta Howard, 34, and Antowain Johnson, 36, are both charged with two misdemeanor counts of endangering the health and life of a child.
On Feb. 23, the 12-year-old boy told his teacher that his parents had left for Las Vegas, leaving him and his 9-year-old sister alone in their home in Uptown, according to the police report.
Authorities contacted the father, who told police he planned to return to Chicago on Feb. 25. Officers then contacted the children’s aunt, who said she could take care of the children.
Howard and Johnson are accused of leaving the children alone from 6 p.m. Feb. 22 until about 4:15 p.m. Feb. 24, police said.
