Bikini model who left her four kids at home alone with a loaded gun for 11 days while she vacationed in Europe, gets probation!
A bikini model from Iowa left her four kids alone at home with a loaded gun while she vacationed in Europe, according to reports.
Erin Lee Macke reportedly left her children, aged to six to 12, for at least 11 days to head to Germany for a vacation with a friend.
Reports state that the 31-year-old model was detained after the incident was highlighted and was charged with four counts of child endangerment. However, she escaped a jail term after entering an 'Alford plea.'
An Alford plea is a guilty plea in the United States which is considered in criminal cases, and which is entered into when the accused does not plead guilty but admits that there is enough evidence for a conviction.
Macke could have reportedly faced up to eight years in prison if the case had gone to trial. However, now she is instead sentenced to just two years of probation.
The woman had also been charged with one count of making a firearm available to a person below the age of 21 years. However, the prosecutors agreed to drop it as part of the plea deal, according to The Sun.
Macke's former husband, Matthew Macke, reportedly told the court that she was informed that her kids had been taken in by police, despite the notice, it took her six days to return home from her holiday.
Reports state that when the police contacted her overseas, she told them that her babysitters fell through, so in the end, she just decided to leave the children at home by themselves.
The police department released a statement, saying: "Investigators confirmed that Macke had made no arrangements to provide adult supervision or care for the children while she was away." She was then asked by the authorities to come back to the United States immediately.
However, despite the warning by cops, Macke only cut her trip short by four days and returned to the United States on September 27 last year. She was immediately arrested upon her arrival.
Her ex-husband said: "Erin refuses to admit that her choices put the children at a substantial risk of harm," while adding that she has not yet accepted responsibility for what she did.
Matthew Macke has been given the custody of two of her youngest children, whom Macke had with him. The custody of other two children has not been decided yet, reports state.