Alabama woman charged with abandoning 2 children at Florida hospital
A Dothan woman stopped at a Destin, Fla., hospital, told two of her three children to go inside to help her get gas money, then drove off with her infant child, abandoning the two others, according to WEAR in Pensacola.
Erica Suzanna Cook, 34, of Dothan was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of unlawful desertion of a child, according to the Okaloosa County (Fla.) Jail docket. As of Tuesday morning, she remained jailed under $2,000 bond awaiting an initial court appearance.
An arrest report obtained by the TV station indicates the incident happened in mid-August. Cook pulled into the HCA Florida Destin Emergency parking lot, telling the two children to go inside to find gas money. When the two kids reached the front door, Cook drove off with only the infant in the car.
A security guard witnessed the incident, according to the report, and told investigators the two children began running towards the vehicle when they realized Cook was leaving without them. The guard brought the two children inside and nurses took the children into a room.
The report indicates Cook returned to the hospital and asked the same security guard about her children. The guard reportedly told Cook the children were with the nursing staff, Cook went back to her vehicle, ostensibly to get the infant, but instead drove off again, never to return.
Investigators tried unsuccessfully to contact Cook by phone. A warrant was issued, leading to her arrest Friday. The current status of the three children was not immediately available.