A Florida mother has been charged with child neglect for allegedly abandoning her 2-year-old son in a still-running vehicle to go swimming for nearly 45 minutes while saying she wanted to “meet sharks.”
Allison Sarah Daugherty, 41, was taken into custody when authorities were alerted by a witness who saw her allegedly leaving her son in a car while swimming at the Bokeelia Fishing Pier around 10:30 a.m. Monday, NBC reported. 2.
According to the witness, Daugherty, who is listed as a transient on the arrest record, parked her car near the dock and turned on the radio before jumping into the water.
Twenty minutes later, the passerby noticed the little boy crawling around the vehicle, which was left running with the air conditioning on, they added.
A group fishing off the pier also reportedly shouted warnings to avoid his hooks, only for Daugherty to say “he wanted to get hooked” and “would like to encounter sharks,” according to the report, noting that sharks are often seen in the waters.
Allison Daugherty moments before being arrested at a Florida dock on Monday.WBBH-TV
Allison Daugherty, 41, remains in custody on a charge of child neglect. LCSO
When officers arrived, she swam even further before being brought ashore in a rescue boat.
By then, Daugherty had left the child alone in the car for about 44 minutes, FOX 4 said.
The photos showed Daugherty wearing a black bikini and matching briefs when she was arrested. She was booked by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office that afternoon, FOX 4 said.
Daugherty was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.WBBH-TV
Their son, who staff at nearby Cap’tn Con’s restaurant said was still in diapers, apparently had lunch at the restaurant before being picked up by a family member, they told NBC 4.
“He was a sweet, well-behaved boy,” employee Jenny Wray recalled.
“He would sit, eat and watch TV as if he didn’t realize what was happening, thank God.”
Daugherty and his son had visited the restaurant at least three times in the last week before his arrest, Wray added.
Daugherty told viewers he wanted to “meet sharks.” WBHH-TV
He noticed that each time the mother behaved strangely.
“We called the sheriff’s office [on Monday]; She didn’t seem drunk. “She did not appear intoxicated,” she alleged. “Something was wrong.”
As of Wednesday morning, Daugherty remains in custody on a charge of child neglect or leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle for more than 15 minutes, arrest records show.
His bail has been set at $250 and he is due at a court hearing on October 2.
The Lee Count Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
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