The 37-year-old mother reportedly left her infant baby alone at home and went to a bar on Thanksgiving. Deputies responded to her home after a 911 caller told the dispatcher that the mother sounded as though she was under the influence of alcohol and had shot a gun inside her home. When deputies arrived at the home, they were let into the apartment, where they noticed an unsupervised infant still in its crib. The child was left in the care of a family member while police tried to find the mother.
According to reports, the 37-year-old mother from Florida, Victoria Hidalgo, left for the bar after she fired a gun into the front door of her home on Thanksgiving evening.
Deputies responded to her home after they received a call from a woman who said Hidalgo had sounded as though she was under the influence of alcohol and had shot a gun inside her home, according to reports.
When the unidentified woman arrived at the mother’s apartment she found a bullet lodged in the front door and noticed the vehicle that the two shared was not in the driveway. When deputies turned up at the home, they were let into the apartment, where they noticed an unsupervised infant still in its crib. The child was left in the care of a family member while police tried to find Hidalgo.
An investigation ensued and detectives learned that the vehicle Hidalgo had used was stopped by deputies later that night. Hidalgo was reportedly in the front passenger seat alongside a male driver, identified as Robert Sampson, per a statement from the Sheriff’s Office.
According to police reports, the woman’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and her breath smelled of alcohol. Her speech was also slurred when she was questioned. As for the Sampson who was driving the car, he told the cops that he’d just met the mother at Paddy Wagon Irish Pub and he offered to drive her home because he was concerned about her safety, given how she was going to drive home in her inebriated condition.
Police say he did not have any knowledge of the situation at the home.
“There is no excuse for an infant to be left in a home alone, nor is there a good explanation for the discharge of the firearm,” said Sheriff Prummell. “It is clear that this woman’s priorities are way out of order, and I hope this experience serves as a wake-up call for her. I pray that things change and the child is properly cared for moving forward.”
The woman was taken into custody on a charge of Child Neglect without Great Bodily Harm. She was being held on $3,500 bond. This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.