A daycare worker in Fruitland Park was arrested after a child in her care was found running across U.S. Highway 27/441 on Friday, according to police. Halee Russo, 27, faces a charge of child neglect in the alleged incident, records show. Officers responding around 10 a.m. to the daycare center, called Luv N Hugs, near U.S. 27/441 reported making contact with a witness who said he saw a small child running across the lanes of the highway, prompting him to make a U-turn and return to where the child was. As he drove back, the witness said he saw that two other cars had pulled over and were safely able to collect the child and return them to the daycare, according to Russo’s probable cause affidavit. Russo — claiming that she failed to check a gate that she usually verifies is secured — initially told police that one of the children was able to push the gate open and run through the breezeway before being stopped near the front door by a parent, the affidavit states. As officers exited the daycare, another witness approached them and identified herself as the person who returned the child to the daycare, police said. She told officers that she saw the child in the center median with another passerby who had stopped to prevent the child from running back into the road, which police noted had a posted speed limit of 50 mph, the affidavit states. This witness said that upon returning the child to the daycare, she spoke with someone who called out for Russo, informed Russo that the child “almost got hit by a car,” and promised that Russo would be written up, according to the affidavit. Officers returned to speak with Russo, who now said that she had been dealing with two children who were hesitant to go outside when she saw the gate swing open, the affidavit states. Russo said she briefly left her group unattended to chase the child, but saw that someone had already stopped the child near the front door, according to the affidavit. Police told Russo that there were conflicting statements regarding how the child made it out of the gate, at which point Russo allegedly became tearful and said she was “just doing what her boss told her,” the affidavit states. Russo then told police that the child was on top of a slide the last time she saw them, according to the affidavit. After turning her attention to another child for about two minutes, Russo said she was told that the first child had made it out of the gate, adding that she had confirmed the gate was locked and the juvenile likely crawled under it through a gap, the affidavit states. Russo further claimed that her boss told her to lie so that the daycare wouldn’t be closed, police said. She has since posted bond.

FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. —

A daycare worker in Fruitland Park was arrested after a child in her care was found running across U.S. Highway 27/441 on Friday, according to police.

Halee Russo, 27, faces a charge of child neglect in the alleged incident, records show.

Officers responding around 10 a.m. to the daycare center, called Luv N Hugs, near U.S. 27/441 reported making contact with a witness who said he saw a small child running across the lanes of the highway, prompting him to make a U-turn and return to where the child was.

As he drove back, the witness said he saw that two other cars had pulled over and were safely able to collect the child and return them to the daycare, according to Russo’s probable cause affidavit.

Russo — claiming that she failed to check a gate that she usually verifies is secured — initially told police that one of the children was able to push the gate open and run through the breezeway before being stopped near the front door by a parent, the affidavit states.

As officers exited the daycare, another witness approached them and identified herself as the person who returned the child to the daycare, police said. She told officers that she saw the child in the center median with another passerby who had stopped to prevent the child from running back into the road, which police noted had a posted speed limit of 50 mph, the affidavit states.

This witness said that upon returning the child to the daycare, she spoke with someone who called out for Russo, informed Russo that the child “almost got hit by a car,” and promised that Russo would be written up, according to the affidavit.

Officers returned to speak with Russo, who now said that she had been dealing with two children who were hesitant to go outside when she saw the gate swing open, the affidavit states. Russo said she briefly left her group unattended to chase the child, but saw that someone had already stopped the child near the front door, according to the affidavit.

Police told Russo that there were conflicting statements regarding how the child made it out of the gate, at which point Russo allegedly became tearful and said she was “just doing what her boss told her,” the affidavit states.

Russo then told police that the child was on top of a slide the last time she saw them, according to the affidavit. After turning her attention to another child for about two minutes, Russo said she was told that the first child had made it out of the gate, adding that she had confirmed the gate was locked and the juvenile likely crawled under it through a gap, the affidavit states.

Russo further claimed that her boss told her to lie so that the daycare wouldn’t be closed, police said.

She has since posted bond.