A Florida woman was charged with child neglect and desertion over the weekend after she allgedly left her two young children in an Uber for several hours.
Emily Sabogal, 32, was arrested Friday night, WTVJ reported.
According to an arrest report, the Uber driver said he picked up Sabogal and her two children, but sh reached across the center consol, grabbed his phone, and cancelled the ride. Then, he said, she gave him $10 and had him stop the vehicle, got out, told him she’d be back in three minutes, and walked away.
She did not return.
After an hour of waiting with the children, the driver called Sabogal, who said she’d be back in 12 minutes and hung up.
She did not return, and this time she did not answer the driver’s calls, so he called police.
“At this time, two hours had elapsed, and the defendant showed that she had no intent on returning due to her lengthy absence,” the report said.
A responding officer noted that the children were “in good health and spirit” but they reported they were hungry and thirsty.
Police searched the area and eventually found Sabogal outside a McDonald’s more than two miles from where she left her children.
The report said that Sabogal smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, and made incoherent statements but could not explain why she left her children in an Uber nor how she got where she was found.
Investigators also learned that she had been at a restaurant bar with the children earlier in the day and had multiple drinks there. Restaurant staff told detectives she was a regular there and came in about five times a week.
According to WPLG, she posted $1,500 bond for each charge and was released from jail on Sunday.
The children’s father told the station Sabogal has previously shown erratic behavior and he is “very concerned for the safety of my children.”
“Moving forward, she needs help. I don’t understand how someone in their right mind would do something like this,” he said. “She’s obviously not OK, and this needs to end.”
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[Featured image: Emily Sabogal/Broward County Sheriff’s Office]