CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Police found four children ages 5 and under alone in an apartment while their father was at a tavern.

That father, 37-year-old Charles Thomas Ray of Marion, is now charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent, a class C felony. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

According to a criminal complaint, Cedar Rapids Police responded to an apartment on Thursday and found four children alone inside. The kids ranged in age from 1 to 5 years old.

Officers found Ray at a nearby tavern. Police say he told the officers he was ready to go to prison.

Police say Ray is on probation following a 2024 domestic abuse conviction involving the mother of the children. Officers had responded to the same home earlier Thursday, which resulted in the mother leaving

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