Mom leaves newborn alone in running car for almost 2 hours while gambling in Florida arcade
On March 7, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida, reported arresting a mother who had left her 27-day old infant in a car while she gambled inside an arcade on Friday. (For those readers outside of Florida, “arcades” in the Sunshine State are gambling dens.) The neglectful mom had left her car running and the doors to the car unlocked while she was inside the arcade – and her newborn was left unattended in the vehicle.
Witnesses in the area heard the baby crying and called 911 on a day when the outdoor temperatures had reached 80 degrees. The baby was found to be dehydrated. The mother didn’t have any food available for the baby, prompting a deputy to leave and buy formula for the child.
Deputies arrested Bionca Kimyata Lockett, 32, of Sebastian, outside one of the arcades in the Sebastian Square Plaza in the 11600 block of US 1.
Lockett is looking at two felony charges of child neglect.
The baby had poor hygiene from poor cleaning, deputies noted. The infant also had dried skin and chapped lips and appeared to be malnourished. It was determined that Lockett had left the baby unattended in an unlocked, running car, in a busy plaza parking lot, for approximately 1 ¾ hours.
(Source: Indian River County Sheriff’s Office)
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
