DEBARY, Fla. -- A woman from DeBary was arrested early Monday morning on two counts of child neglect when it was discovered that she had been drinking in a bar for two hours while two children sat in her parked car, deputies said.
Investigators said the children were turned over to relatives while a deputy booked Cheryn Scaggs, 30, into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach.
Authorities said a patrol deputy drove by Shotz Sports Bar & Grill on S. Charles R. Beall Bouelvard, shortly after 2 a.m. and noticed a crowd had gathered in the parking lot.
The deputy investigated and found that Scaggs was drunk and had asked other bar patrons to help her get home, authorities said.
However, deputies said once the bar patrons got outside, they saw two girls, ages 1 and 4, sitting in the back seat of Scaggs' SUV. The deputy noted that the vehicle was not running and the temperature outside was about 30 degrees.
The deputy questioned witnesses who said that Scaggs had been at the bar since midnight. They noted that she had walked out of the bar a few times, but the witnesses said that none of them knew that the children were out there.
Deputies said Scaggs told a witness that she had left the children with a neighbor.
A windshield visor was also in place, hindering the view of the SUV's interior.
Volusia County Fire Services responded and determined that the children were not hurt.
