A Florida man has been charged after allegedly leaving his 18-month-old son in a hot truck for hours, resulting in the toddler's death, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Authorities say Scott Allen Gardner, 33, was arrested Thursday and faces charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm, per NBC News. He's currently being held without bond.
Investigators say Gardner left his son, Sebastian, inside a truck with the windows cracked and a small fan running while he got a haircut at Classic Cuts around 11:30am local time on June 6, a day when the temperature reached about 90 degrees. Sheriff Michael Chitwood says the fan, powered by two AA batteries, was in the front seat, while Sebastian was in the back, per Today. Gardner then went across the street to Hanky Panky's Lounge, where officials say he drank for nearly three hours. Gardner left the bar about 2:40pm, drove to his mother's house in Ormond Beach, and called 911.
By the time police arrived, Sebastian had already died. Hospital staffers estimate the vehicle's interior reached up to 111 degrees, and they recorded the boy's body temperature at more than 107 degrees. Authorities believe the child had been dead for approximately two hours before the 911 call. Body camera footage from the scene reportedly shows Gardner pleading for help from police. Later that night, authorities say Gardner returned to the same bar with his mother, who seemed to have been unaware of the tragedy. Chitwood criticized Gardner's actions at a news conference, saying the case "shocks the conscience." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
