An Oklahoma mother, Rubi Verduzco, 29, allegedly abandoned her baby at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood on Christmas Eve. Police arrested Verduzco and charged her with two counts of felony child neglect without great bodily harm, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
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According to NBC Miami, the baby was left at the hotel's bell desk. A responding Seminole Police Department officer, Joseph Cimino, then found the baby. He described seeing "an infant wearing a soiled diaper in a stroller out in the open elements." According to a bell desk employee, three men left the baby there just 30 minutes before the officer arrived.
Following Cimino's arrival, Verduzco arrived at the scene. She was identified thanks to her Oklahoma medical marijuana card. The officer wrote in his affidavit that Verduzco alleged that "she fought with her 'Baby Daddy,' and the baby was left with some unknown friends whom she was unable to name." Moreover, Cimino described Verduzco as "very intoxicated, displaying bloodshot, watery eyes." He then stated that Verduzco was slurring her speech and perceived a "strong odor" of alcohol emanating from Verduzco's breath.
Mother Arrested
No information regarding the baby's age has been confirmed. The affidavit states that Verduzco was unsure of the baby's date of birth. At the scene, Verduzco then called a man she stated was the baby's father. He said initially that the state should take the baby's custody, according to PEOPLE. Cimino, however, was unable to verify the man's identity. The man then called back to say that he "wasn't sure if he could come to the Hard Rock and retrieve his child."
Police later contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families. They took custody of the baby and the woman was later arrested. According to Cimino, he arrested Verduzco for "not knowing who, where, or for what length of time she left her baby."
According to Law & Crime, police took Rubi Verduzco into custody at the North Broward Bureau jail on December 24. Two days later, a magistrate judge set her bond at $2,500. While WPLG states that Verduzco remains in prison, FOX 5 Atlanta states that Verduzco posted bond and was subsequently released.
