After reportedly leaving her four children in her car outside of a bar in Florida so that she could go out and party, a mother of four who is 36 years old is currently being held in jail.
A probable cause arrest affidavit stated that Tiffany Shanta Simmons and her son, who is eight years old, were present at the Apple Lounge & Grill in Winter Haven at approximately 9:20 p.m. on Monday.
It was explained to Simmons by a bartender that those under the age of 21 were not permitted to enter the establishment.
As a result, Simmons’ mother stated that she would take the youngster to his father. At approximately fifteen minutes later, Simmons is said to have returned to the bar by himself and placed an order for some food and vodka sodas.
A bartender became suspicious of Simmons and the locations of the child within the course of around forty-five minutes, and as a result, she walked out to the parking lot to investigate.
“So, I went outside and started scoping the cars and our parking lot and unfortunately found four times what I thought I was going to find in the back,” the bartender, Brittany Cohee stated to WFLA.
Grady Judd, the sheriff of Polk County, stated that in addition to the child who was eight years old, there was also a girl who was ten months old, a boy who was three years old, and a girl who was five years old inside the vehicle that was parked in the back corner of the parking lot. The deputies stated that they were alone themselves and did not have any adult supervision or a functioning telephone. The police also stated that the parking lot was “dimly lit” and that it was located in a “high crime” area. At one point, Judd referred to Simmons as “a lady who defines the word crazy.”
The sheriff’s office responded to the pub after receiving a call from Cohee, and they went there to check on the children. Despite the fact that they were not injured, the deputies discovered the 10-month-old child lying face down in the middle of the backseat, which could have been the result of asphyxiation, according to the affidavit.
When Simmons emerged from the bar, he was “stumbling” and appeared to be “extremely intoxicated,” according to the deputies who were present.
According to the statement, she got “belligerent” and began fighting with the deputies of the department. A deputy was allegedly kicked by Simmons, and the officers had to bind her in a rip hobble as she was being transported in the back of the cruiser.
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The charges against Simmons include child negligence, violence on an officer, and resisting arrest. Simmons is facing a multitude of counts currently. Simmons is said to have a “proven history of DUI while transporting” her children, as stated by the law enforcement officials.
“She left four little beautiful babies in a car that was running by themselves in a bar parking lot at night,” Judd stated. “She needs to go to prison.”
The Department of Children and Families was contacted by deputies, and they took custody of the children before releasing them to their relatives. Following the incident, the Apple Lounge workers came together and purchased Christmas presents for the four children.