Details revealed in child-neglect case

A Costa Mesa mother arrested on suspicion of child neglect after officers found her 4-year-old son wandering the city streets in the middle of the night was at a Motel 6 with her boyfriend at the time, police said Thursday.

Jessica Zepeda, 27, was at the Motel 6 on Gisler Avenue all night Tuesday with her boyfriend instead of home with her three kids, two sons age 4 and 9 and daughter, 10, Sgt. Bob Phillips said.

About 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, police found Zepeda’s youngest walking alone near Wilson and Maple streets in Costa Mesa, police said.

Police arrested Zepeda when she returned home about 10:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Officers left the children with family when they realized their mother wasn’t home, police said.

Zepeda appeared in court Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty to felony child endangerment and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing July 7.

She is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Police suspect the kids were left alone for at least 13 hours.

Zepeda at first told police she was out looking for her kids, Phillips said.

— Joseph Serna