Mom charged after allegedly leaving 3 kids on bus overnight with bucket for toilet

GULFPORT, Fla. (WGHP) -- A mother faces charges after police say she left her children on a bus in a parking lot overnight, according to WFLA.

At about 4:42 a.m. Saturday, an officer was patrolling the area of Gulfport Municipal Beach when he found a bus belonging to a now-defunct organization in the parking lot. Inside the bus, he found a 3-year-old, 6-year-old and 9-year-old.

The children had a bucket to use as a toilet, as well as a bin of food, most of which was perishable, with no cooler, police said.

The children told police their mother went out on a boat at about 9 p.m Friday, more than seven hours earlier.

Gulfport Marine Patrol scoured the area for the missing mother and reportedly found Andrea Kerrins, 33, on a boat belonging to an unidentified man. She had been smoking marijuana and told police her plan was to spend the night onboard the boat.

Kerrins was arrested and charged with three counts of felony child neglect.