Florida Babysitter Left Child Alone for Boyfriend, Child Ingested THC Gummies

A Florida woman faces child neglect charges after leaving a child unsupervised to stay at her boyfriend's house. The child ingested THC gummies and was taken to a hospital by a neighbor.

Florida Babysitter Abandoned Child, Who Tested Positive for THC

A 29-year-old Florida woman is facing child neglect charges after allegedly leaving a child in her care alone at night to spend the night at her boyfriend's house, Law & Crime reports. The child subsequently ingested THC gummies and was taken to the hospital by a neighbor around 1:30 a.m.

Maribel Plaza was booked into the Lake County Jail on June 19 and posted $5,000 bond the same day. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by the outlet, officers from the Leesburg Police Department responded to a call from medical staff at UF Health Hospital in Leesburg, Florida, after a neighbor brought the child in.

The neighbor told police that the child had knocked on their door around 1 a.m., "begging" to be taken to the hospital after falling off a bed. The neighbor described the child as "weak, sick, and lethargic" and confirmed there was no adult present at the home.

At the hospital, the child tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

Officers contacted the child's family, who confirmed via video call that Plaza was the only adult entrusted with the child's care while the family traveled to Georgia for several days. When the child was awake and able to speak with police, they said Plaza had left the home around 10 p.m. the previous night. No other adult came to the house to supervise the child.

Police tracked Plaza down and reached her by phone. She initially claimed she had left the child believing the family was returning later that evening, but later admitted she had gone to her boyfriend's house to spend the night.

When questioned about how the child could have tested positive for THC, Plaza said she had stored a bottle of CBD oil in the bathroom medicine cabinet and THC gummies in the freezer — both locations accessible to the child. Plaza denied giving the child any substances, stating the child "should not know what they are." The child was unable to tell police which substances they had consumed.

Plaza is scheduled to appear in court on July 13.

Source: Law & Crime