PALM COAST, Fla. – A husband and wife were arrested Friday night after being accused of leaving their baby inside a car while they were drinking at a bar in Palm Coast, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
FCSO said it received a tip shortly after 10 p.m., and when they arrived at the scene, they found the infant sleeping in a car seat that was improperly secured.
According to deputies, the car had been left unlocked with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.
While deputies were assessing the infant, a woman exited the bar and approached the car.
According to FCSO, the woman told deputies that she was the car owner and that her husband was inside the bar. Deputies then went into the bar and detained the man for questioning.
When questioned, the woman told deputies that she first went inside to use the restroom and to get money from her husbands “for necessities to care for the infant.” She then explained that after checking on the infant, she returned to the bar to see if he was ready to leave and while he paid for his tab, she came back outside and was immediately detained for questioning by deputies.
However, deputies said the couple gave conflicting statements about the woman’s time inside the bar, and witnesses confirmed that the husband and wife were at the bar drinking.
A witness also told deputies that she first noticed the car when she arrived at the bar at approximately 10 p.m. and that a man exited the bar around 10:15 p.m., looked inside the vehicle, and then reentered the bar.
“These two will never receive parents of the year award with this behavior,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “It’s never acceptable to leave an infant alone inside a running vehicle—especially while inside a bar drinking. This kind of recklessness could have ended in tragedy. I want to thank the concerned citizen who reported this incident and our deputies who acted quickly to protect this innocent child.”
The couple was arrested and charged with felony child neglect without great bodily harm, a third-degree felony, and transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
They have both been released, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is also investigating this incident.