A couple from Florida is facing charges of child neglect after police discovered their baby left alone and sleeping in a running car outside a bar, while both were allegedly consuming alcoholic beverages inside the establishment.
The incident occurred last Friday night in a parking lot located in the city of Palm Coast, when a call to 911 alerted the Flagler County Sheriff's Office about a child who was left unattended inside a vehicle.
It was shortly after 10:00 p.m. when the agents arrived at the scene, and one of the first things they noticed was that loud music was coming from the car.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, the officers discovered that it was unlocked, with the engine running and the baby sleeping in a "poorly secured" child seat, according to the sheriff's official statement.
Initially, the agents considered breaking a window to access the child, but they eventually discovered that the car was unlocked and were able to open it without forcing anything.
While the agents assessed the baby's condition, a 28-year-old woman identified as Clarisse Finnegan exited the bar and approached the vehicle.
The woman identified herself as the mother of the minor. She said she had left the bar "to check on the baby" and had entered the establishment to use the bathroom and ask her husband for money "for the necessary care of the baby."
Her husband, Norman Finnegan Jr., 60 years old, was still inside the bar and was escorted by the officers for questioning.
The accounts of both regarding the time they spent inside the bar turned out to be contradictory.
The inconsistencies among the testimonies became even more evident when several witnesses told authorities that they saw them together drinking inside the establishment.
A witness stated that she first saw the vehicle in front of the bar around 10:00 p.m., and that at approximately 10:15 p.m. she observed the man leaving the bar, looking inside the car, and then returning to the establishment.
The statement suggests that the baby may have been alone for at least 15 minutes, although authorities are still investigating the exact duration.
The Flagler County Sheriff, Rick Staly, issued a statement on social media expressing his disapproval of what happened.
“It is never acceptable to leave a baby alone inside a running vehicle, especially while drinking at a bar,” he stated.
"This type of recklessness could have ended in tragedy. I want to thank the concerned citizen who reported this incident and our agents who acted swiftly to protect this innocent child," he added.
Both parents were arrested on the charge of felony child neglect without causing serious bodily injury, which is considered a third-degree felony in the state of Florida.
Norman Finnegan was released after paying a bail of $2,500, while Clarisse Finnegan was released on her own recognizance.
The Florida Department of Children and Families has opened a parallel investigation to assess the safety and wellbeing of the minor and to determine whether additional measures should be implemented for their protection.
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