A 33-year-old Florida man, Scott Allen Gardner, has been accused of leaving his 18-month-old, Sebastian, in a hot car while he got a haircut and drank at an Ormond Beach bar. The toddler, tragically, died after three hours of suffocating torture.
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According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO), the incident took place on Friday, June 6. Allegedly, Gardner left Sebastian inside his truck for an excruciating three hours while he got a haircut and had drinks at Hanky Panky’s Lounge.
WESH reported that, after returning to his truck, Gardner allegedly found his dead son. He drove to his mother’s home and then called for help. Reportedly, Sebastian had been dead for two hours.
One responding VSO deputy attempted to revive Sebastian, but he was pronounced dead. Medical personnel estimate that Sebastian’s body reached 11 degrees while he remains inside the hot truck.
Dad Arrested And Charged
While questioned by police, the VSO alleges that Gardner gave “multiple false accounts” of what occurred. On Thursday, June 19, Scott Allen Gardner was arrested at his mother’s home.
“The same OBPD officer who tried to revive Sebastian placed Gardner in handcuffs today as he was taken into custody at his mother’s home in Ormond Beach,” the VSO wrote.
Bodycam footage released by the VSO shows the exact moment that Gardner is detained while in handcuffs. At one moment, two unidentified individuals called out to Gardner, saying that they loved him.
“I love you guys,” Gardnery replied. One of the arresting officers, however, quickly replied, “Say goodbye, because you’re not going to come back here again.”
According to the New York Post, Scott Allen Gardner was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm. He was booked into Volusia County Jail, where he remains on a $100,000 bond.
Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood talked with WESH, seemingly infuriated by Gardner’s alleged crime.
“I don’t think there’s a penalty on this earth that can ever fit for the crime that was committed here,” Chitwood said. “It absolutely shocks the conscience, for this, that this even happened. There’s no reason whatsoever.”
Chitwood alleged that, after Sebastian’s death, he and his mother went for more drinks at Hanky Panky’s Lounge.