Mom locked teen in closet, cops say

Mom locked teen in closet, cops say – The cops in Costa Mesa, California say that a mom locked her teen daughter in closet for 6 hours. The police arrested the mother, whose name was withheld, for allegedly locking her 13-year-old in a closet. She is also accused of hitting the girl with a stick because the child earned bad grades. The 32-year-old woman is charged with one misdemeanor count of child abuse, Costa Mesa police told the Daily Pilot, which has decided not to name the mother to protect the identity of her daughter, a minor. Authorities alleged that on Oct. 29 the mother hit her 13-year-old daughter three times with a stick and then locked her in a closet for six hours as punishment for “bad” grades, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Phil Myers. He did not know the grades the girl earned. A concerned party called police after the incident, he said. Police arrested the woman within a couple of hours of the report. She was in custody at Orange County Jail until early Monday morning, when she posted bail and was released, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department records. The girl is now in the care of the Orangewood Children & Family Center and the mother is scheduled to appear back in court on Dec. 29.