A 21-year-old Pompano Beach woman is facing a child neglect charge after leaving her toddler in a car while she shopped at the Lauderhill Mall, police said.
Luz Elena Ortiz-Areiza was arrested Tuesday after her 2-year-old was found wandering in the mall's parking lot, according to the police report read in court Wednesday morning.
During her first court appearance, Broward assistant state attorney Eric Linder called the allegations “aggravating.”
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“She left her 2-year-old child in the car for an hour while she went shopping in the Lauderhill Mall,” he said. “The child was able to unlock the door and run through a busy parking lot."
The child was not harmed, he added.
Public defender Hector Romero said the single-mother expressed remorse over her poor judgment.
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She remained in the Broward County Jail late Wednesday on a $2,000 bond, records show.
