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A Florida dad arrested for allegedly leaving his helpless young son to die in a hot car for hours while he got a haircut and went to a bar was described as “garbage” by officials who revealed the heartless father returned to the local watering hole following the tot’s horrific, preventable death.
Scott Allen Gardner is accused of leaving 18-month-old Sebastian inside his locked truck while he galivanted around Ormond Beach, Florida on June 6, getting a fresh cut and stopping by Hanky Panky’s Lounge for some drinks, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Gardner, 33, a father for less than two years, was given a few new titles after his arrest.
“I want to start out by saying that this father is a human piece of garbage and he is a lying sack of s–t,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said during a press conference Monday.
Gardner drove his truck to Classic Cuts on Ocean Shore Blvd and Brooks Drive at around 11:30 a.m., leaving his son in the vehicle, officials revealed.
The father then crossed the street, entering Hanky Panky’s Lounge around 12 p.m. where he ordered at least two rounds of beer and shots of Fireball.
Witnesses told police they never saw Sebastian in the car, despite Gardner bringing his son into the bar on multiple occasions.
Gardner, at one point, stepped outside to look at a car crash in the parking lot, but never went to check on his son, Chitwood told reporters
“How in the world can you be so messed up that you would allow your child to sit back there in Florida, in 90-degree weather, walk outside and check on some car but never go near your son?” he questioned.
After paying for his drinks, Gardner drove back to his mother’s home, a mile southwest of the bar.
Little Sebastian was estimated to have been in the car for over three hours, as the outside temperatures reached 92 degrees.
Gardner only discovered his son wasn’t breathing when driving back to his mother’s home.
He frantically called 911 to report the deadly medical emergency, cutting off the dispatcher as he yelled for his mom’s help, according to a recording of the call shared by the sheriff’s office.
First responders attempted life-saving measures on the tot, but couldn’t because he was already showing signs of death.
“When the Ormond Beach police officer arrives at 2:49 p.m., he can’t do CPR because the baby’s in rigor mortis,” Chitwood said.
Officials believe Sebastian was dead for two hours before his father called 911.
Sebastian was rushed to a nearby hospital, where his internal temperature was measured at over 107 degrees.
Officials estimate that the inside of the car reached as high as 111 degrees while the toddler was strapped into his car seat.
“Not only did he treat the Ormond Beach Police Department like pieces of s–t, he treated the doctors and nurses, the staff (at the hospital) like pieces of s–t. So this guy is nothing but a piece of s–t,” Chitwood said.
Gardner told police he had left the windows open and had a minifan that ran on AA batteries for his son.
Chitwood refuted the claims, as investigators revealed the position of the truck would have caused the back seat to heat up to a deadly temperature even if the A/C was running on high in the front seat.
After leaving the hospital, Gardner returned to his mother’s house before the two returned to the bar.
“Father of the year, baby is dead, investigation going on, what does he do? He picks up his mother and they go back Hanky Panky’s for a few more cocktails,” the outraged sheriff said.
Gardner remained at the bar with his mom until midnight.
Police don’t believe Gardner’s mom was aware of what her son was doing at the time of her grandson’s death.
Gardner was arrested two weeks later at his mother’s house.
The same police officer who attempted to save Sebastian was the cop who handcuffed the man allegedly responsible for the baby’s death.
Gardner was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm.
He was held in jail without bond.
“I don’t think there’s a penalty on this Earth that could ever fit for the crime that was committed here,” Chitwood said. “It absolutely shocks the conscience for this to even happen.”
The disgusted sheriff offered even more vitriol against Gardner.
“He is exactly where he belongs to be, behind bars,” Chitwood said. “My hope for him, is that every night, when he closes his eyes, and every morning when he opens his eyes, his son Sebastian is sitting there asking ‘Dad why did you do this to me?’ ” Chitwood said.
“There is no reason for this little boy to be dead.”
English (US)