Children Left In Freezing SUV While Mom Drank At Bar

Cheryn Scaggs

DEBARY, Florida -- Deputies say a DeBary woman was arrested early Monday morning for two counts of child neglect when it was discovered that she had been drinking in a bar for two hours while two young children sat in her vehicle in the parking lot. The unharmed children were turned over to relatives while a Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy booked 30-year-old Cheryn Scaggs into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach.

A patrol deputy drove by Shotz Sports Bar & Grill located on 167 S. Charles R. Beall Blvd. in Debary, Florida, shortly after 2 a.m. and noticed a crowd had gathered in the parking lot.  The deputy investigated and found that an allegedly intoxicated Scaggs had asked other bar patrons to help her get home. 

However, once patrons got outside they saw two girls, ages 1 and 4, were sitting in the backseat of Scaggs’ sport utility vehicle. The deputy noted that the vehicle was not running and the temperature outside was about 30 degrees.

The deputy questioned witnesses who said that Scaggs had been at the bar since midnight. They noted that she had walked out of the bar a few times, but none of the witnesses knew that the children were out there. 

Scaggs had even allegedly told one witness that she had left the children with a neighbor. A windshield visor was also in place, hindering the view of the SUV’s interior. Volusia County Fire Services responded and determined that the children were unharmed.