Child seen running across U.S. 27 in Lake County; Daycare worker arrested, police say
FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. - A Florida daycare worker is facing a felony child neglect charge after a small child was reportedly seen running across a busy Lake County highway before being rescued by passing drivers.
The Fruitland Park Police Department responded to U.S. Highway 27 and U.S. Highway 441 after receiving a call about a child in the road at around 10:20 a.m. on June 12. Investigators noted that section of U.S. 27 consists of six high-speed traffic lanes with a posted speed limit of 50 mph.
Police worked to learn more about how the child left the daycare and who was responsible for the child's well-being.
Who reported the child in the road?
What we know:
A driver who contacted police stated he was traveling north on U.S. 27/441 when he saw a small child running across the lanes, an arrest affidavit said. He made a U-turn to help, when he saw two other cars pull over, he said. He then witnessed someone safely get the child and return them to the daycare, he told police.
A Florida daycare worker, Halee Russo, is facing a child neglect charge after a child ran into a Lake County highway.
Who returned the child to the daycare?
Police spoke with a driver who said she brought the child back to the daycare after finding them in the center median of the highway, the affidavit said. Another person stopped the child from running back into the road, the woman reported to police.
Knowing a daycare facility was located nearby, the woman said she took the child back to the building. The child confirmed they came from the daycare, the woman told police.
How did the child leave the daycare?
Police also spoke with Halee Russo, 27, a daycare worker who was later arrested for child neglect in connection with this incident.
While interviewing Russo – who has worked for the daycare since November 2024, the affidavit said – she claimed that she usually checks that the playground gate to the front parking area is locked for safety measures, but did not check the gate before the incident.
According to the affidavit, Russo initially provided officers with the following timeline:
- Russo was trying to get the children outside to bring them out to play, but two children were hesitant to go outside.
- While she was working with the two children, Russo saw the gate swing open and she briefly left the group unattended to chase the child out the gate. She claimed the time-lapse was five seconds.
- When she exited the gate, she saw a woman stop the child near the front door. Russo previously told police she saw a child push the gate open and run through the "breezeway" before being stopped at the front door by a parent.
Did the defendant change her story?
After the officer brought up conflicting statements regarding how far the child made it out of the gate, Russo was emotional and amended her statement – claiming "she was just doing what her boss told her," the affidavit said.
According to Russo, after being told the child went outside the gate, she told her boss. Russo claimed her boss "told her to lie, so the daycare wouldn't be closed," the affidavit said.
When police spoke with a woman managing the daycare, the manager said she wasn't aware of any incident that occurred with children in her daycare, the department said.
In her revised order of events, according to the affidavit, Russo said:
- She had been outside with the kids for several minutes when she last saw the child preparing to go down the slide.
- She turned her attention to another child who was upset.
- Two minutes later, she was told the child left and made it outside the gate.
- Russo said she confirmed the gate was locked and said the child likely crawled under the gate.
- Russo confirmed the child was solely in her care and that she wasn't providing the child with adequate supervision – leading to the well-being of the child being put at risk.
What we don't know:
The child's age was not released by police and was redacted from the report. No other employees or administrators have been charged at this time, though the investigation remains active.
What's next:
Russo was arrested and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Officers contacted the child's parents, informing them of the incident. Police also contacted the Department of Children and Families, who will be initiating an immediate investigation, the department said.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Fruitland Park Police Department.