Florida mom allegedly left toddler, baby inside unlocked car while she went to bar
10/24/2023 11:44 am PDT
WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. (TCD) -- Police arrested a 33-year-old mother this week who allegedly left her two children unattended in a car so she could go to a bar.
According to a news release from the West Melbourne Police Department, on Oct. 22, a patrolling officer noticed a black SUV parked in the lot behind Penny Annie’s Bar on Minto Road even though the vehicle was unlocked and the engine was still running. The officer moved closer to the car and observed a 2-year-old child and an 8-month-old baby asleep in the back seat.
Jamie Gunn, the registered owner, was reportedly inside the bar with a friend.
According to police, Gunn had been inside the bar for at least 20 minutes "while having no regard for her children who were left unattended."
Gunn reportedly learned police were outside with her car, and she was "more concerned about going to jail than the welfare of her children."
Police arrested Gunn on a charge of child neglect, and she was booked into the Brevard County Jail with a $15,000 bond. She was released Oct. 23.
A family member reportedly took custody of the toddler and baby, and the Department of Children and Families will investigate the incident further.
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