A mother and her boyfriend were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony child abuse after her three children had been left in the desert as punishment, according the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Mary Bell, 34 and Gary Cassle, 29, of Twentynine Palms are being held at the Morongo Basin Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, deputies responded to a report of three children – a 7-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy – alone in the desert near the 74000 block of Samarkand Drive in Twentynine Palms. The children were without water and shoes.
During the investigation, it was determined that Bell was the mother of the three children and Cassle was Bell's boyfriend. They left the three children in the desert, by themselves, for disciplinary purposes.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175.