West Boca father has history of child neglect

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Joseph Muldrew was arrested Wednesday on child neglect charges after, police say, he and his wife fell asleep on a couch after drinking and their son, 3, was found wandering alone outside.

This isn't the first time Muldrew was arrested on child neglect charges, according to records. Another of his children was found wandering under similar circumstances in 2005.

The Boca Raton man, 33, was arrested on Wednesday with his wife, Brittni Muldrew, on child neglect charges. That night, deputies discovered the couple on a couch in a deep sleep — fueled by booze, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report — as their 3-year-old boy trotted down the block, alone.

They also found two girls, 7 and 10. Two of the children were crying loudly after deputies entered the home, but not even their cries woke the couple, according to the report.

On May 6, 2005, according to another Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report, Joseph Muldrew's 2-year-old daughter escaped the house and crawled through a neighbor's screen door in a soiled diaper. She did so, the report says, as her father slept.

The neighbor's two young children and pet pit bull had been on the patio when the little girl showed up. The neighbor called police.

Deputies eventually found the girl's home five houses from where she peeked her head through the neighbor's screen door. A bucket of dirty water propped Muldrew's front door wide open.

Inside, the report says, deputies found Muldrew asleep on a chair with loud music blasting. One of the deputies tried to wake Muldrew by talking to him, but that didn't work. He didn't wake up until the deputy shook him.

Muldrew appeared to be tired and smelled of alcohol, a recently used shot glass left on a kitchen counter, according to the report. Muldrew told the deputy he had taken two shots of vodka.

"Joseph told me he felt like kicking himself ...," a deputy wrote in the report, "and that he is a good father."

Deputies then booked Muldrew in the Palm Beach County Jail on child neglect charges, which were later dropped, according to records.