Florida mom ditches crying kids at Waffle House to go drinking at bar -- and never comes back

A Florida mother was arrested this week after police said that she left her three children at an Augusta Waffle House while she went drinking at a nearby bar.

According to The Augusta Chronicle, 38-year-old Rhiannon Gentry's children -- ages 11, 12, and 12 -- were found crying in the parking lot of a Waffle House in Richmond County on Monday night.

A waitress reportedly told police that Gentry had left the children there an hour and a half earlier, but she did not leave them with enough money to pay for their food. The waitress said that she observed the children crying on multiple occasions because their mother had not returned to check on them.

According to an arrest report, a man saw the children trying to cross a busy road to get to Wild Wings Cafe, where they believed their mother was drinking. The witness said that he found Gentry drinking with two men at the bar.

Gentry later told police that she had only gone to Wild Wings to pay for four drinks that she had earlier in the evening. She also said that one of the children did not belong to her, but she said that she had permission to take the child to dinner.

Gentry was charged with deprivation of a minor.

Boing Boing pointed out that the Waffle House has been rated as one the top 100 restaurants in the Augusta area.