Lonzie Barton: Mom Pleads Not Guilty In Case Of Missing Toddler Feared Killed By Boyfriend

Little Lonzie Barton, a 21-month-old toddler from Jacksonville, Florida, went missing from his home on July 24. On Wednesday morning, his mom Lonna Lauramore Barton, appeared in Duval County County court to enter a plea of not guilty to charges that she allowed her drug-dealer boyfriend to watch over her child, even after she had every reason to believe that the man, Ruben Ebron, may have already caused Lonzie a serious injury.

The day before Lonzie disappeared, police say, Lauramore Barton saw that the child had suffered a severe bruise on the back of his head. Lonzie was also vomiting, appeared lethargic, and had yellow fluid oozing from his ears.

But the 25-year-old mom, who also had a five-year-old daughter, went off to her job at a local strip club anyway, leaving Ebron, pictured below, to care for both of the children.

In addition to the child neglect charges against her, which she has now denied in court, Lauramore Barton, is charged with obstructing the police investigation into the disappearance of her young son. According to investigators, shortly after Lonzie was reported missing, Lonna Lauarmore Barton lied to the police repeatedly, claiming that she did not know who Ebron was, as well as lying about her place of employment — the adult entertainment bar Wacko’s — and her home address.

Her defense lawyer is Kevin Carlisle, who is best known for defending Michael Dunn, a Florida man who was convicted last year of shooting and killing African-American teenager Jordan Davis after an argument over loud music.

Prosecuting the case against Lonna Lauramore Barton is Richard Mantei, who gained a degree of notoriety as the prosecutor in the George Zimmerman killing of Trayvon Martin.

Police have classified the disappearance of Lonzie Barton as a murder, though the boy has not been found alive or dead. Enron claimed that he placed the child in a car, intending to pick up the boy’s mother at work, but when he ran back into the house to retrieve something — police say he was actually snorting cocaine — someone stole the car with the toddler inside.

Ebron is considered the top suspect in the presumed murder of Lonzie. He has been arrested and is being held without bond on child neglect charges, as well as charges of attempting to escape from jail.

Because police say that Ebron is a “habitual offender” with a lengthy criminal record, prosecutors plan to seek “enhanced charges” against him, meaning that if convicted he could spend up to 50 years behind bars, even if he is never convicted of killing little Lonzie Barton.

[Images: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, WJXT-TV Screen Grab]