CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / CYPRESS

A 35-year-old Cypress mother of three was arrested for allegedly leaving two of her children home alone in a house filled knee-high with trash and bugs, authorities said Wednesday.

Police found the children Tuesday living in “deplorable” conditions, said Cypress police Sgt. Tom Bruce.

“Frozen bugs were inside the refrigerator and the toilets were overflowing with human feces,” Bruce said.

The mother, Alison Le Anne Ebert, turned herself in to police, allegedly telling officers that she had been smoking marijuana and was addicted to methamphetamine and felt lazy and depressed.

She is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 2.

The investigation began Tuesday afternoon when police received a tip of possible child abuse at the house, in the 8500 block of La Homa Street.

When officers arrived, they found two girls, ages 9 and 11, in the home, Bruce said.

The two children were placed under the care of Orange County Child Protective Services, Bruce said, adding that a third child, a 15-year-old girl who had been staying at a relative’s home, also was taken into protective custody.

City code enforcement officers deemed the house uninhabitable.

-- Ruben Vives