A Texas teacher faces child neglect charges after authorities say he left his two foster sons unattended at a hotel, leading to one of the children wandering into a stranger’s home.<\/p>\n
Francisco Javier Lara, 55, of Austin, Texas, was arrested after police discovered his 12-year-old foster son running in and out of traffic near 33rd Street and Pinetree Drive in Miami Beach, according to arrest records.<\/p>\n
Lara, who told investigators he had been drinking, brought his 10- and 12-year-old foster sons to Miami Beach on Tuesday for a vacation scheduled to end Friday.<\/p>\n
Court records state that on Wednesday, while the boys were sleeping in their room at the Catalina Hotel, Lara left them alone to consume alcoholic beverages at a nearby restaurant and bar. Upon returning and finding the children still asleep, Lara left again, according to authorities.<\/p>\n
Less than two hours later, witnesses reported seeing the 12-year-old boy, wearing only his underwear, running near traffic. Police said the child ran inside a nearby residence that was empty at the time.<\/p>\n
“This could have gone much worse had it not been for the witnesses and our officers’ response,” said Officer Christopher Bess, a spokesperson for the City of Miami Beach Police Department. “The kid ended up in the home of a stranger who was in Canada at the time.”<\/p>\n
The child provided officers with Lara’s cell phone number, which led to the arrest.<\/p>\n
During a court hearing Friday, Lara told Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer that he could not afford an attorney.<\/p>\n
“Both of my kids have autism, and they are high-needs, and so I made a bad choice last night,” Lara said before his public defender intervened.<\/p>\n
Lara faces two counts of child neglect.<\/p>\n