LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Department of Public Works president Andrea Alarcon, daughter of Councilman Richard Alarcon, will not face charges after she left her daughter at City Hall for several hours last month.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Gargiulo said Thursday that the 33-year-old will not be charged because she didn’t leave her child in circumstances that could result in harm or death.
But she is not yet out in the clear, as the case has now been transferred to the city attorney, who can still file charges against Alarcon.
An investigation was launched by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office after Alarcon’s 11-year-old daughter was found unattended at City Hall around 11:45 p.m. on Nov. 16.
She was taken to a local police station, but Alarcon didn’t show up to collect her for another two hours.
Days later, Alarcon announced that she would take a leave of absence from her $130,000-a-year job and asked the media to respect her family’s privacy “during this difficult time”
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement on behalf of Alarcon, saying she will seek treatment but did not specify for what.
“In order for me to be the best parent possible, I have decided to seek professional help and treatment,” the statement read, adding that her daughter is her “top priority and nothing could be more important to me than her well-being.”
Alarcon’s mother and father are also involved in a bit of legal trouble, as both are facing perjury and voter fraud charges.
Prosecutors allege the couple didn’t actually live in the Panorama City home located in the district Councilman Alarcon was elected to represent and in fact live in neighboring Sun Valley.