Drugged out dad, alone with 4 young children, threatens violence against "family member" in police standoff (Ceres, California)

This sure sounds like a visitation arrangement--or even a single dad. If a mother had been in the home--and there is no mention of one--then it would not have been necessary for "a family member" (Mom? Somebody else?) to contact the police after receiving threatening phone calls from the father. Why was this drug-addicted. abusive idiot "caring" for four young children by himself? Dad RUPERTO LOPEZ has been charged with making terrorist threats, child endangerment, false imprisonment, resisting arrest, and being under the influence of a controlled substance.  

http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-ceres-man-arrested-for-child-endangerment-20110728,0,5761231.story

Ceres Man Arrested for Child Endangerment
Ian McDonald

FOX40 News

12:21 p.m. PDT, July 28, 2011
CERES—
A man was booked into Stanislaus County Jail early Thursday morning for multiple offenses, including making terrorist threats and child endangerment.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday morning, Ceres Police officers were dispatched to a home on Darrah Street to check on four young children of ages ranging from 3 months to 6 years old. A family member had been receiving phone calls from the kids’ father, who was threatening violence against the family member.

The family member believed the father, 25-year-old Ruperto Lopez, was intoxicated and in an unstable state of mind.

When the officers arrived, the man entered the home and refused to come out. He would occasionally open the door to shout obscenities and threaten the officers. The man would also show the children at the door, but would refuse to let them out. Police say the 3-month-old was not actually home at the time.

A Ceres SWAT team and negotiating team came to the home shortly before 3 a.m., and Lopez surrendered without further incident.

Lopez was booked into Stanislaus County Jail for making terrorist threats, child endangerment, false imprisonment, resisting arrest and being under the influence of a controlled substance.