Florida Mom April King Left Toddlers In Car While She Went Drinking At A Bar

Florida mom April King was arrested after leaving her two young children locked in a hot car so she could go drink at a local bar, Apopka police say. King, 35, was arrested on child neglect charges shortly after the Sunday afternoon incident.

Apopka police stated that April King was spotted drinking at Frogger’s bar by the manager and four others inside the establishment around shortly after noon, according to NBC affiliate WESH. The Florida mom initially told the police officers that she was not drinking at a bar with her children locked in the car. King claimed that she only left the children, ages 2 and 4, for a “brief period” of time while she went into the nearby AT&T store.

According to the Florida police officers investigating the child abuse case, King appeared lethargic and was slurring her speech when they interviewed her over the weekend. The four-year-old child was reportedly witnessed blowing int the breathalyzer which was part of a required test before the car would start.

When the police did not buy the cell phone store visit story, April King allegedly admitted to going into Frogger’s, but said she was just placing a to go order and did not have the children with her at the time.

“The kid hit the horn. When he hit the horn, I looked at the car and I see the little boy in the driver’s seat and I noticed another child in the back and the car was running,” said Frogger’s Bar and Grill employee, Marvel Jackson.

Jackson quickly alerted the manager to the situation and asked the operator to call the police. According to the police report, King left the bar after the horn honking and drove to the AT&T store where she allegedly left the children in the car for about another 20 minutes.

“She got in the car, rode around the block but came back and parked again. That’s when a cop pulled and she was saying no, she didn’t leave her kids in the car,” Jackson added.

When police officers arrived on the scene, the windows were completely rolled up and the vehicle was running, according to the police report.

When the officers asked the little boy if his mommy asked him to blow into the interlock device often, the child reportedly appeared puzzled by the question. It was later determined that King had only possessed the breathalyzer locking system for two days. April King was reportedly released from a 54-day stint at an alcohol rehabilitation facility in July. A toxicology report indicates that King had consumed one drink and had prescription Prozac in her system.

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