Fla. woman accused of leaving children alone in car while she drank in bar

April King arrested on child neglect charges

APOPKA, Fla. – A 35-year-old woman was arrested Sunday in Apopka on allegations of drinking alcohol in a sports bar while leaving children in her care alone in a car.

April King was arrested on charges of child neglect without great harm.

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According to an Orange County arrest affidavit, King was drinking inside the Froggers Grill and Bar at 1601 N. Rock Springs Road in Apopka around 2 p.m., and she left an undisclosed number of children in alone in her car in the parking lot.

"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 Marvel Jackson, who told his manager to call police.

Several witnesses said King was drinking alcoholic beverages, and authorities were called after the children were discovered alone in the car, according to authorities.  One witness said the children had been in the car for at least 20 minutes, according to the affidavit.

Police said King left the bar and drove down to AT&T where she left the kids in the car for another 20 minutes, before officers arrived.

"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," said Jackson.

Witnesses said the car was running and the windows were completely up when the children were found.

Police said King was unstable, had red glassy eyes and slurred speech. While the report showed King had one drink, police said she admitted to being under the prescription drug, Prozac. 

King, who had just been released from an alcohol rehabilitation facility in July after being in treatment for 54 days, was arrested and taken to jail.

The children, who were not injured, were placed in the custody of a friend.

Froggers said King has been banned from the bar indefinitely.

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About the Author:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.