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Parents Arrested For Leaving Four Kids Home Alone

WOODSTOCK, Ill. (STMW) - Two northwest suburban parents were charged Thursday with leaving their four young children home alone while they went to work.

The children, who ranged in age from 2 to 8, did not show up for school on Thursday. When school officials went to their home at 11416 U.S. Route 14 in unincorporated Harvard, they found the children unsupervised, according to McHenry County Sheriff's Lt. James Popovits.

The parents -- Francisco Nova, 46, and Eva Nova, 44 -- were arrested and charged with four misdemeanor counts of endangering the health of a child, a release from the sheriff's office said.

The children were taken into state custody, and the Dept. of Children and Family Services is investigating allegations of neglect against the parents, spokesman Jimmie Whitelow said.

The agency has had prior contact with the family based on allegations of neglect against the father, Whitelow said.

The Novas were still in custody as of Friday evening, Popovits said. They were held on $1,500 bond each.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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