A Scranton man faces charges of child endangerment after police say he left his children in a Days Inn hotel room overnight Saturday into Sunday.
The children told authorities their father, Paul Philbin, was likely at a friend’s house and often let them alone for two or three hours at a time.
The two said they had eaten food from a mini-fridge earlier in the day, but their food ran out.
When officers spoke with the 41-year-old man by phone, he admitted leaving his children at about 6 p.m. the day before. He told officers time “escaped” him.
Officers noted the time as about 5:30 p.m., meaning the children had been left for nearly 24 hours without supervision.
Food strewn throughout hotel room
Officers met with Office of Youth and Family Services caseworkers at the hotel on the Scranton Carbondale highway at about 4 p.m., for the report of children being left alone there.
When officers entered the hotel room, they noted clothes strewn all over the floor and a mini-fridge containing only condiments.
When officers asked one of the children when was the last time they ate, the child said it had been “about 15 minutes ago.”
When asked what they ate, they said chicken patties, honeybuns, coffee cakes and a cup of milk from the lobby.
During the phone conversation, Philbin asked officers if he would be going to jail. Police told him there would likely be a bail set.
He said he only had money only for food and an Uber, but would turn himself in if he could get a ride to the police station.
Philbin turned himself in at the police station at 6:30 p.m. and was arraigned before District Judge Christopher Szewczyk Monday morning. He remains at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 11 before District Judge Szewczyk.