ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) — A Crowley woman was arrested in St. Landry Parish last week for cruelty to juveniles charges after authorities in Acadia Parish advised that she was wanted for child desertion in their area, according to a press release.

Laquanda Guillory, 33, of Crowley, was arrested on Wednesday, May 11 by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office (SLPSO) for three counts of cruelty to juveniles.

The Crime Stoppers of Acadia Parish tipped the SLPSO that Guillory was wanted in Acadia Parish for three counts of child desertion and could be located at a home in the 4200 block of Hwy. 357 in the Opelousas area. SLPSO began investigating.

When deputies arrived, the door to the house was open and no one was home, but a blue van was parked in the driveway. Two children, one under the age of 12 and one under the age of seven, were in the van asleep. deputies noted that it was 81 degrees at the time.

Deputies knocked on the window but were unable to wake the juveniles. They were then met by another juvenile under the age of 11, who stated that they did not know the location of Guillory, their mother.

The children in the van were eventually woken up and removed from the vehicle and sat in the back of the air-conditioned police unit. All of them were shaking and sweating. Police said they also had a strong body odor due to poor hygiene and their clothing appeared dirty and stained.

While searching the house, deputies noticed a strong, unclean odor coming from inside and there was no electricity. Deputies said every room of the house was dirty, possible human waste was found in the bathroom sink, a window in one of the bedrooms was broken, and there was leftover food on the cabinets in the kitchen. The house was also unable to be secured because the doors would not lock.

The children told police that their mother makes them sleep in the van due to no air conditioning in the house, and she sleeps elsewhere. They also said that she comes back in the mornings to get them ready for school. One of the children said she was wearing the same school clothes since the beginning of the week.

The children were taken to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office Safety Complex.

Later that evening, Guillory called the sheriff’s office to report that her children were not home when she got back to the house. Guillory was told she would have to speak to SLPSO Juvenile Detectives. When she was questioned, she stated that she had to go to the laundromat located within the city limits of Opelousas to clean laundry.

Guillory was booked into the St. Landry Parish Jail and is held there on a $15,000 bond.