VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) — A 33-year-old father is in custody on suspicion of leaving his young child in a hot truck for over three hours, leaving him to die.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, on June 6, Scott Gardner allegedly left his 18-month-old son in the vehicle while he went to get a haircut and then went drinking at Hanky Panky’s Lounge. Medical personnel determined the toddler’s body temperature reached 111 degrees.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Gardner went outside at one point to investigate the bartender’s car after someone had hit it, but he didn’t check in on his child, WKMG-TV reports.
Gardner reportedly drove home and then called 911. An Ormond Beach Police Department officer attempted to revive the victim, but he died.
Gardner allegedly went back to the bar hours after his child was pronounced deceased. Chitwood reportedly said, “He picks up his mother, and they go back to Hanky Panky’s for a few more cocktails. I don’t think there’s a penalty on this Earth that could ever fit for the crime that was committed here. It absolutely shocks the conscience for this to even happen.”
According to the sheriff’s office, Gardner provided multiple false statements about what had happened that day. He was arrested on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
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