Alisha Esch: Fort Pierce mom arrested, accused of leaving children home alone while she drank

FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- A Fort Pierce mother was arrested Saturday after leaving her two young children home alone while she went to a friend's house to drink, police say.

Police responded to the home of Alisha Esch, 20, on Apple Street in Fort Pierce after her father found her two children -- one three-year-old and one nine-month-old -- crying and alone, investigators said.

Esch's father called police when he arrived at the home at 11:30 p.m. and stated one of the children had a soiled diaper and the other was yelling, "asking for their mommy."

According to an arrest report, Esch came home at 5 a.m. and was intoxicated.

Esch told police that after her father and grandfather left the home around 5 p.m., she went to a friend's house to drink alcohol and returned around 7:30 p.m. to put them to sleep, according to the report.

Esch said she left the home again to drink more and then returned to her home at 9:30 p.m. to check on her children. She then claimed she returned to her friend's house, the report states.

"Alisha stated that she drank so much that she passed out at her friend's house and did not return home until
approximately 5:00 a.m.," an officer wrote in the report.

Esch told investigators that she has never done anything like this before, and that she has a drinking problem and wanted to seek help, the report states.

Esch's grandfather agreed to watch her children while she is in jail.

The Department of Children and Families is investigating.

Alisha was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail and was charged with child neglect without great harm.