Photo: West Melbourne Police Department
A Florida mother is facing charges after authorities accused her of leaving her child in a running car to visit a bar.
A West Melbourne police officer spotted a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old baby alone in a black SUV in Penny Annie's bar parking lot on Minton Road on Sunday (October 22), per a news release. Police claim the vehicle's doors were unlocked and still running as the children slept in the backseat.
Officials confirmed the vehicle was registered to 33-year-old Jamie Leigh Gunn, the children's mother, who was found inside the establishment with a friend. Investigators learned she was inside the bar for at least 20 minutes with "no regard for her children who were left unattended."
"When Gunn learned law enforcement was outside with her vehicle, she was more concerned about going to jail, than the welfare of her children," police wrote.
Gunn was arrested and booked into Brevard County Jail for child neglect. She was held on a $15,000 bond, but jail records say she was released later that day.
A family member took the children into her care, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) was notified to conduct a follow-up investigation, according to officers.