A drunken mother was arrested after abandoning her two young children and an Uber driver for more than two hours while he went to drink at a restaurant in Florida, authorities said.
Emily Sabogal was arrested on February 13 after local police responded to a rideshare driver’s 911 call, alerting authorities that an intoxicated mother had left her two children behind and fled.
The Uber driver told police he believed Sabogal, 32, got into his car drunk, with his four-year-old and three-year-old, drinking a cup of alcohol that smelled like rum, according to dash cam footage obtained by CBS News.
The drunken mother allegedly muttered “you think I’m stupid” in Spanish and told the driver to turn around, bypassing the GPS, before reaching the center console, where she grabbed the Uber driver’s phone, canceled the ride and handed him a $10 bill, NBC South Florida reported.
Sabogal told the driver – who cannot be named – that he would only stay for three minutes before he got out of the car. The driver called the mother an hour later, said he would be back in 12 minutes and hung up, according to the store.
After not being able to reach the mother again, the driver called 911, about two hours after leaving the car.
Police arrived to find the children thirsty and hungry, but ‘in good health and in good spirits,’ according to NBC South Florida.
The mother was found by police walking outside a McDonalds more than two miles away, appearing intoxicated and slurring her words as she answered their questions — and has been charged with one count of child neglect and two counts of child abandonment, authorities said.
Police allegedly smelled alcohol on the mother’s breath, who could not explain how she ended up at McDonalds or why she abandoned her children, NBC South Florida reported.
“I don’t know what’s going on right now,” said Sabogal, speaking to police on body camera footage.
“What’s going on? You left your kids for two hours! This is what happened,” said a Sunrise police officer, according to the footage. “The Uber driver was sitting with your kids waiting for you to come back two hours ago.”
Sabogal said he was on his way home and “his condition is a bit serious” – adding that his phone died and he “didn’t do anything wrong.”
“The most important thing for you should be your children,” said the policeman.
“My children, 100 percent, my lord, listen, I am not a criminal,” said the mother.
The mother had gone to a local restaurant she frequents “up to five times a week” and had consumed several alcoholic beverages after fleeing the Uber, according to NBC South Florida, citing authorities.
Sabogal appeared in court on February 15 and was released from jail after posting a $1,500 bond on each charge.
