A woman from Florida was charged with child neglect after her 5-year-old son was found alone in a park, and witnesses said they saw her allegedly leave the scene with a man.
Alize Angel Rodriguez, 20, was arrested hours later after witnesses reported that her young son had been walking alone in a Miami Beach park for about 20 minutes, according to a police report obtained by WPLG, a local ABC affiliate... Continue reading here ▶
The boy told officers that his mother would leave him in the park as punishment when he misbehaved.
The report also said that several witnesses saw Rodriguez leaving the park and getting into a gray Toyota with a man, leaving her son behind.
When police arrived and spoke to the boy, he said he didn’t know where his mom was, but mentioned that she often left him in the park when he wasn’t behaving.
Witnesses also said Rodriguez appeared to be under the influence when she left the park. One person saw her walking nearby and noticed her throwing her purse into a bush. Police later found marijuana and several pills, including Xanax, inside the purse.
Rodriguez was located and denied being under the influence. She was arrested that same day and charged with felony child neglect without great bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance. She was also charged with a misdemeanor for having less than 20 grams of marijuana.
The boy was placed in the care of his maternal grandmother. Rodriguez is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $3,000 bond. Her next court date has not been set.
