JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman was charged with child neglect after police say the child was left inside a running car with a man passed out in the front seat Sunday morning.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the child was found playing on a cell phone at around 12:30 a.m. in the backseat of a parked white Nissan Altima while a man, Saige A. Freese was passed out in the driver's seat.
When Freese woke up, he told officers that he was waiting on his girlfriend, Alexis Rae Burnette, 24, to come back to the car so they could go to a hotel, the police report said.
The car was turned off and Freese was handcuffed. No illegal drugs were found in the car, according to JSO. Freese later told officers he fell asleep waiting for Burnette to finish packing bags for the hotel.
A witness told police Burnette had walked into a home the car was parked in front of about an hour earlier and passed out on the floor. The witness told JSO that Burnette used to have a drug problem but is now on methadone.
Officers found Burnette passed out on a bed, partially dressed, after the witness said she tried waking her several times. Officers were eventually able to wake Burnette, who seemed confused and unaware that officers were trying to talk to her, the report said. The report mentions Burnette's eyes were dilated despite a bedroom light shining in her face.
After she was read her rights, Burnette told officers that she had gotten into an argument with Freese, became tired and fell asleep.
Freese was later released from the scene and Burnette was placed under arrest, according to the report.
Burnette is behind bars on a $50,000 bond. Her next court date is July 16.
