Mom Arrested After Allegedly Leaving Her 3-Year-Old and 4-Year-Old with Her Uber Driver for Hours While She Went to a Shopping Plaza

A Florida mother has been arrested after authorities accused her of leaving her two young children with an Uber driver for more than two hours while she shopped at a nearby mall.

Emily Sabogal, 32, was taken into custody in Sunrise, Florida, following a 911 call placed by the Uber driver on Feb. 13, according to reports from CBS Miami. She faces one count of child neglect and two counts of child desertion.

Newly released body camera footage shows officers questioning the driver about how long he had been waiting with the children.

“More than two hours,” the driver told police.

Authorities said the 4-year-old and 3-year-old children were hungry and thirsty but otherwise appeared to be in good condition.

In the footage, the driver told officers he believed Sabogal had entered the vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He claimed she was carrying a cup that smelled of rum and repeatedly instructed him to change directions, deviating from the GPS route.

According to police, Sabogal allegedly asked the driver to cancel the ride, offering extra cash. After arriving at a parking lot, she exited the vehicle and disappeared.

The driver told investigators that Sabogal took his phone, canceled the Uber trip herself, and handed him $10. She reportedly said she would be gone for only three minutes. After waiting for about an hour, the driver contacted authorities.

“You left your kids for over two hours,” one officer is heard saying in the footage.

Sabogal allegedly responded that her situation was “a little bit complicated” and later claimed her phone had died.

“My children, absolutely, 100 percent… I’m not a criminal,” she said, according to video obtained by WFLA and NBC South Florida.

An officer replied, “What’s going on is you deserted your kids for two hours. That Uber driver has been sitting with your children waiting for you to return.”

Police later stated that their investigation found Sabogal had visited a local restaurant prior to the incident and consumed several alcoholic beverages.

Sabogal appeared in court on Feb. 15 and was released after posting a $1,500 bond, NBC South Florida reported.