Delaware County woman charged with child endangerment

A Delaware County woman faces charges after allegedly leaving her 6-year-old daughter home alone and going to New York City to shop for the day.

School officials called Upper Darby police at 4:16 p.m. last Friday to check on the well-being of Shawn Kersey's daughter. Officers found the girl in deplorable conditions in a dirty apartment. A mattress and electric heater were on the living-room floor, according to court papers.

"The place is a pigpen," Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael J. Chitwood said.

When police reached Kersey, 35, of Kent Road, she told them she was on a bus and would not be home for an hour and a half.

Chitwood said Kersey told police "she needed this [trip] to relieve the stress of her life as a single parent." She is not employed, he said.

The child told police her mother went "to a store far away." She said that she had been left alone four times and that her mother told her to hide in a closet if anyone knocked on the door, according to court documents.

The child told police Kersey woke her that morning, dressed her for school, and told her to watch television or go back to sleep. Kersey said she would call to let the girl know when it was time to go to school, according to court documents.

"Who walked you to the bus today?" investigators asked the child.

"I walked myself," she told them.

Kersey was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 14 before Judge Harry Karapalides.