PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man was arrested in Land O’ Lakes after deputies say she left three young children in a running vehicle.
It happened at a Publix supermarket near the intersection of Land O’ Lakes Blvd. and Connerton Blvd.
Fire rescue officials found the three young children, ages 4, 2, and 2 in the vehicle unattended.
Two of the children were buckled in their car seats, but the eldest child was unsecured and moving around freely.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office deputies say suspect, Mackenzie Zadroga, 37, returned from the store, telling authorities she only spent five minutes shopping and trusted the oldest child to watch the vehicle because she is “smarter than I am.” She said she left the vehicle running, so the children could have air conditioning.
The children were examined and medically cleared.
Zadroga also said that the children were left in the vehicle because she couldn’t carry all three of them and that using a stroller would be too complicated.
Upon reviewing surveillance, authorities discovered she had actually spent 15 minutes inside the store.
Zadroga was placed under arrest for child neglect and booked into the Land O’ Lakes Detention facility on a $5,000 bond.
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