Law enforcement officers arrested Susan Mendez, 46, on charges of child endangerment and neglect after her son was suspected of shooting a gun outside of a home in Cold Springs Wednesday.
According to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, “shortly after 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, deputies responded to a report of a loud argument and possible gunshot outside a home on Oakbrook Lane in Cold Springs. On arrival, witnesses told deputies that a male juvenile and female juvenile had been arguing outside the house and that the sound of a gunshot had been heard.”
Both juveniles left the scene before officers arrived. A bullet was found in the street outside the home. Deputies identified the suspect and found his place of residence with the help of eye witnesses.
“Deputies went to the juvenile’s home, located in Stead, where they met with both juveniles and the male juvenile’s mother, Susan Mendez,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a statement released to the press. “Mendez initially denied the presence of a firearm in the home. After further questioning she admitted to having the firearm and provided Deputies with the weapon’s location.”
“After determining that the firearm was kept loaded in an unsecure location within a home occupied by several juveniles, and that it was suspected to be the same weapon used by the male juvenile in the Cold Springs incident, deputies arrested Mendez on three felony counts of child abuse or neglect as well as one count of contributing to the delinquency of or neglect of a minor.”
The juvenile was also arrested. He was booked into the Jan Evans Juvenile Detention Facility on multiple charges.
