HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A woman is facing child neglect charges after authorities say her baby was found alone at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood with a soiled diaper on Christmas Eve.
According to an arrest report from the Seminole Police Department, the infant was left alone at the bell desk of the casino’s Old Main Entrance for about 30 minutes before officers arrived at the scene.
Tribal police Officer Joseph Cimino wrote in the report that when he got to the scene, he “observed an infant wearing a soiled diaper in a stroller out in the open elements.”
He wrote that the bell desk worker told him that three “unknown” men had “left the baby and walked away.”
Authorities said they eventually located the baby’s mother, identified as Rubi Verduzco, 29, of Bethany, Oklahoma. During questioning, police said Verduzco, who appeared to be under the influence, was unable to recall her child’s age.
Verduzco reached out to the child’s father, who also resides in Oklahoma, and police said he told them to arrest her and have the state take custody of the child.
Police said Verduzco was taken into custody and is now facing one count each of child abuse and child neglect without bodily harm.
Police also confirmed that the child has been placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families.
Jail records show Verduzco is being held on a $2,500 bond at the North Broward Bureau as of Thursday afternoon.