The Rockland County mother accused of tying her 4-year-old son to a bush was in court today.
Mery Quinde-Castro, 22, an Ecuadorean national, appeared before a judge in Spring Valley court Thursday on child endangerment charges. The 22-year-old single mom was arrested Tuesday after someone called police when they spotted her son Ramsay tied to a bush outside the Spring Valley apartment where Quinde-Castro was working as a nanny. Quinde-Castro says that she was in and out of the house taking out garbage, and her son insisted on staying outside so he could play video games on her cellphone.
She says she tied him to the tree with his backpack for just a few minutes, and that she kept an eye on him from inside the house.
In court, Spring Valley Village Judge Alan Simon appeared somewhat sympathetic, although he says her actions were not what he considered good parenting.
The judge today adjourned the case until July 30 so Quinde-Castro could attend parenting classes. There's a possibility that the charges could be dismissed upon successful completion of those classes, but neither the judge nor the prosecutors would say for certain.
The boy was turned over to a relative, but an official from Child Protective Services says they will not take the boy from the home.