A Florida couple is facing felony charges after authorities say they left their baby unattended in a running, unlocked vehicle outside a bar while they went inside to drink.
Clarisse Finnegan, 28, and Norman Finnegan, 60, were both charged with felony child neglect without great bodily harm, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred late Friday night outside Smiles bar in Palm Coast, about 60 miles south of Jacksonville.
911 Call Leads Deputies to Infant in Unlocked Car
Deputies responded around 10:20 p.m. after a 911 caller reported a child left alone in a car with its engine running. When officers arrived, they found an infant in the backseat of a white Volkswagen Passat, improperly secured in a car seat. The vehicle was unlocked, the key was in the ignition, and the air conditioning was on.
Video footage released by the sheriff’s office shows deputies initially preparing to break a window — until they realized the doors were unlocked. The child appeared unharmed and was asleep in the seat, according to the arrest report.
Couple Located Inside the Bar
About 10 minutes after deputies arrived, Clarisse Finnegan exited the bar and approached them, claiming ownership of the car. She was detained immediately. She told deputies her husband was also inside the bar, and he was soon located and also taken into custody.
Bar staff confirmed to authorities that both had been drinking, though a bartender said Clarisse hadn’t been there long and had only consumed “a little bit.”
A witness who made the 911 call told deputies she noticed the car running around 10 p.m., but didn’t see anyone approach it for about 15 minutes — except for a man who briefly came out, peeked inside the vehicle, and went back into the bar.
Conflicting Stories
Clarisse Finnegan told deputies she had been home caring for the baby but drove to the bar to get money from her husband to buy essentials at CVS. She said she only left the child in the car because the bar allows indoor smoking, and she didn’t want the baby exposed. She claimed to have checked on the baby at least once before being given a drink by the bartender and having “a few sips.”
Norman Finnegan told deputies he arrived at the bar around 8:30 p.m. “to get away” for a couple of hours. He reportedly blamed the situation on Clarisse being a “new mother” and said their baby gets fussy when not at home. His timeline was inconsistent, according to deputies, though he claimed Clarisse checked on the baby twice.
Following their arrests, a friend of Norman’s was contacted to care for the child. Both parents were taken to the Flagler County Detention Facility. Norman was released the next morning on $2,500 bond, while Clarisse was released on her own recognizance. Both were arraigned Tuesday.
Sheriff Blasts ‘Reckless’ Behavior
“These two will never receive parents of the year award with this behavior,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “It’s never acceptable to leave an infant alone inside a running vehicle, especially while inside a bar drinking. This kind of recklessness could have ended in tragedy.”
The Florida Department of Children and Families is also investigating.
