A South Florida woman faces charges of child neglect after allegedly leaving her two young children in an Uber for hours, police said.
Emily Sabogal, 32, was arrested Friday night in Sunrise and faces charges of neglect of a child without great bodily harm and desertion of a child.
Sabogal appeared in court Sunday morning where her bond was set at $1,500 for each charge. She was released from jail after posting bond.
Broward Sheriff’s OfficeBroward Sheriff’s Office
Emily Sabogal
According to an arrest report, the Uber driver said he’d picked up Sabogal and her two children and said she had a cup of what he believed contained liquor.
The driver said Sabogal kept uttering in Spanish, “he thinks I’m stupid,” before she reached over the center console, grabbed his phone and cancelled the ride, the report said.
Sabogal then gave the driver $10 in cash and asked him to stop the vehicle, telling him she’d be back in three minutes before getting out and walking away, the report said.
The driver said he called Sabogal after an hour had passed and she told him she would be back in 12 minutes and hung up, the report said.
After he unsuccessfully tried to reach her again, he called police.
“At this time, two hours had elapsed, and the defendant showed that she had no intent on returning due to her lengthy absence,” the report said.
An officer responded and noted in the report that the children were “in good health and spirit,” but said they were thirsty and hungry.
Officers searched the area and found Sabogal walking outside a McDonald’s in the 9200 block of Commercial Boulevard, about 2.2 miles away from where the children were left, the report said.
Sabogal was taken into custody but couldn’t explain why she left her children or how she got to the McDonald’s, the report said.
An officer said Sabogal had the smell of alcohol on her breath along with slurred speech, and said she made multiple incoherent statements, the report said.
Investigators learned Sabogal had been at a restaurant earlier with her two children where she’d had multiple drinks at the bar, the report said. Restaurant staff said Sabogal is a regular there approximately five days a week, the report said.