Irene Miller booking photo. Credit: Osceola County Sheriff's Office
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida mom has been arrested on charges of child neglect after she allegedly left her four children home alone for nearly a week while she flew to Las Vegas for work, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
Florida mom accused of leaving kids home alone during Vegas work trip
The backstory:
On Oct. 21, a child called 911 for help after her brother was hurt when a dumbbell fell on his head, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Deputies responded to the home on Parkway Blvd. and found four children – aged 9, 11, 12, and 14 – home alone and unsupervised, OCSO said.
The child was taken to the hospital where he was treated and later released, officials said.
Timeline:
OCSO said the children's mother, Irene Miller, flew to Las Vegas on Oct. 18 and had a flight home scheduled for Oct. 23 – six days later. She told deputies that she arranged for a babysitter in Tampa to help get the kids ready for school in the morning and to check on them after school, but did not require the babysitter to stay with them overnight.
Deputies contacted the children's father, who picked them up and brought them to his house, OCSO said.
On Oct. 23, Osceola County deputies met Miller on the jet bridge once her plane landed back in Florida. She was arrested and booked into jail on four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, officials said.
What they're saying:
"The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate child neglect. These cases will be investigated, and charges will be brought against the parents who are not properly supervising or caring for their children," said Sheriff Chris Blackmon in a statement.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.