Who is Veronica Elliott? Mom charged with child neglect after leaving 7-year-old daughter unattended in car to get drunk
DELAND, FLORIDA: Florida mother Veronica Roxanne Elliott, 35, is accused of leaving her seven-year-old daughter in an unattended and unlocked car outside the parking lot of a bar when she was getting sloshed.
Per Daily Mail, Elliott is charged with child neglect after she left her daughter unaccompanied in the car parked at the parking lot of The Perfect Spot Restaurant and Bar in DeLand, Florida, on Sunday, October 29.
Why is Veronica Roxanne Elliott charged?
Elliott parked her car outside the bar and went inside for a drink leaving behind her seven-year-old child inside. She left the car door unlocked.
The child wandered inside the bar after a few hours searching for her mother. This was when the patrons were alerted and they called the police to inform them about the child.
Police arrived at 3 a.m. and further investigation led them to learn that the girl was left in the unaccompanied car in the parking lot. While the engine was turned off, the doors were unlocked.
Officers started looking out for Elliott while one police accompanied the little girl.
Following that, a search mission ensued and the deputies brought a police dog as well.
Hours after the search began, Elliott came to the police at around 6.30 a.m. to ask for the time.
The officers described the mother as being covered in dirt while also missing a shoe. She was also having swaying movements which led the police to conclude that Elliott was a person under the influence at that moment.
Upon hearing the time, Elliott sounded surprised and said to the police that she only meant to be away for 10 minutes.
Following the conversation with police, Elliott was taken under custody.
Per WESH, the mother said that she was going to the bar to meet a man. However, she woke up hours later in a vehicle on the other side of the parking lot.
Where is Veronica Elliott’s child now?
After Elliott was taken into the police station, the Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of her daughter.
Elliott was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. The charge is a third-degree felony.
If she is convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
Elliott, who also goes by the name Veronica Bell was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and was released the following day after she paid the $2,500 bond money.
The child remains with the DCF.
