Mom smelling of alcohol was unconscious as 2 kids roamed busy road, Florida cops say

The disturbing case of two children found in “the middle of a busy road” got stranger still when deputies discovered their mother wasn’t concerned, Florida investigators say.

That’s because she was intoxicated at the time, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office reported in an April 7 news release.

Deputies rousted the 30-year-old woman Saturday, April 6, after tracking the children to a home in Sebring, about a 90-mile drive southeast of Tampa, officials said.

“The children, ages 2 and 4, were spotted walking down the middle of Memorial Drive near the Sebring Parkway around 10:15 a.m.,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies said (their mother) was on the floor, unconscious, and smelled of alcohol. When she was awakened, she did not know where her children were and expressed no concern when told where they had been found.”

The two children had walked about a block in the four-lane road before deputies intervened, officials said.

An investigation revealed “this was not the first time one of the children has left the house unnoticed.”

Their mother was arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and was still being held without bond on April 8, jail records showed.

“Eight hours after the incident, (her) blood alcohol level was measured at .152 on a breathalyzer test,” officials said.

“The children were left in the custody of their father, who was at work when the incident occurred.”

In Florida, drivers with a breath alcohol level of .08 or above are considered intoxicated.

This story was originally published April 8, 2024 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Mom smelling of alcohol was unconscious as 2 kids roamed busy road, Florida cops say."