A baby was among 4 kids left outside bar as woman drank and danced, Florida cops say

A woman’s night of drinking and dancing came to a quick end when deputies arrived to find a baby among four children left waiting in her idling car, according to Florida investigators.

The discovery was made around 9:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, when the Apple Lounge & Grill called 911 to report a woman tried bringing a child into the bar, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The lounge is in Winter Haven, about a 50-mile drive northeast from Tampa.

“An employee of the lounge told a PCSO detective that (a woman) arrived sometime in the 8 o’clock hour with a young boy. (She) was told that nobody under 21-years of age was permitted in the lounge, so she said she would take the boy outside to wait with his father,” the sheriff’s office said.

“(She) came back inside the lounge, alone, after about fifteen minutes. She ordered food, drank vodka, and danced. Lounge staff became suspicious, and as they were looking in vehicles in the parking lot, they found the four unattended children.”

Inside the car, deputies found a 10-month-old girl, 3-year-old boy, 5-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators did not reveal whether all four children were related to the woman.

“Investigators made contact with the suspect ... inside the bar. Throughout the investigation, she appeared intoxicated, was belligerent, uncooperative, and physically defiant,” the sheriff’s office said. “While being taken into custody, (she) kicked a deputy.”

The 36-year-old Lakeland woman was arrested and charged with:

• Four counts of felony negligent child abuse
• Felony battery on a law enforcement officer
• Two counts of resisting with violence
• Two counts of resisting without violence
• Three counts of leaving children unattended in a motor vehicle for more than 15 minutes

She was also cited for leaving an unattended vehicle idling with the keys in the ignition, officials said.

“She left these four beautiful children, alone … in an idling vehicle, parked in a dimly lit parking lot, and outside of a lounge. All the while, she’s inside drinking vodka,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release.

“The oldest child had a cell phone with no phone service, and he didn’t know how to call 911 in an emergency. (Her) actions are infuriating and reprehensible.”

The children were turned over to family members and the Florida Department of Children and Families has “initiated a safety plan” for their well being, officials said.

This story was originally published December 18, 2024 at 7:39 AM with the headline "A baby was among 4 kids left outside bar as woman drank and danced, Florida cops say."