A woman from Oklahoma has been arrested after allegedly leaving her baby at a casino in Florida. The incident took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, where the baby was found alone with a soiled diaper.
The woman, identified as 29-year-old Rubi Verduzco from Bethany, Oklahoma, was taken into custody on December 24. According to police reports, the baby was discovered by three men, who brought the child to the casino’s bell desk. They left shortly after dropping the baby off, and their identities remain unknown.
Tribal officer Joseph Cimino of the Seminole Police Department responded to the scene. When he arrived, he found the baby sitting in a stroller, out in the open, wearing a soiled diaper. It appeared the child had been left at the bell desk for about 30 minutes before help arrived.
Verduzco was eventually located by casino staff. When officers confronted her, she was reportedly intoxicated and couldn’t even tell them the baby’s age. She was identified using her Oklahoma medical marijuana card. When contacted, the child’s father, who was in Oklahoma, told the police to place the baby in state custody.
Interestingly, the father later informed authorities he was actually in Orlando but wasn’t sure if he could come to pick up the baby.
Verduzco now faces two felony charges for child neglect without causing great harm. She was booked into the North Broward Bureau jail and appeared before a magistrate judge on December 26. Her bond was set at $2,500, but reports indicate she is still being held in jail.
The baby is now under the care of Florida’s Department of Children and Families, ensuring the child’s safety after this troubling incident.
