A Florida Mother Made a Pitstop at a Bar. But She Left Her Sleeping Babies Alone in Her Unlocked, Idling SUV, Cops Say.
Florida mom needed a drink, so she stopped in a bar while leaving her kids asleep in idling SUV, police said.
Oct. 25 2023, Published 2:03 p.m. ET
A Florida woman has been arrested after she allegedly left her two young children unattended in an unlocked car while she went into a bar, according to police.
On Oct. 22, an officer on patrol noticed a black SUV parked behind Penny Annie’s Bar in West Melbourne. The vehicle's engine was running and its doors were unlocked, according to the West Melbourne Police Department.
The officer took a closer look inside the SUV and spotted two children, ages 2 and 8 months, asleep in the back seat, officials said.
The registered owner of the vehicle, 33-year-old Jamie Gunn, was inside the bar with a friend, police said.
According to authorities, Gunn had been in the establishment for at least 20 minutes “while having no regard for her children who were left unattended.”
Police claimed Gunn heard that the police were outside with her car and she was “more concerned about going to jail than the welfare of her children.”
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Gunn was placed under arrest and charged with child neglect, officials said.
She was booked into the Brevard County Jail and released on a $15,000 bond on Oct. 23.
The Department of Children and Families are investigating the incident. Gunn's children reportedly were placed in the care of a family member.
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