HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested after he took his two daughters and the daughter of his ex-girlfriend to a bar and then hung out with them under a bridge while he drank beer, police said.
Osvaldo Garcia, 30, was arrested Sunday on charges of child neglect and resisting arrest without violence.
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Hallandale Beach police said Garcia and his daughters were staying at a hotel with his mother for the weekend when she got into a fight with Garcia because he didn't have any money to buy the children diapers or food.
According to a police report, Garcia's mother called police after he left with the children. She told police that Garcia had a history of violence and indicated that he was at a nearby bar with his 6-month-old daughter, his 2-year-old daughter and the 8-year-old daughter of his ex-girlfriend.
Officer Humberto Valdes called Garcia and asked him to return to the hotel with the children, but Garcia refused and said he would call a taxi cab to take the children home with him, the report said. Garcia didn't say where he was drinking or where he lived, police said.
About five hours later, police received a report from a concerned citizen about a man congregating under the Intracoastal Waterway bridge in Hallandale Beach with three children. Police said that when officers arrived, they found Garcia and the children.
Garcia appeared to be intoxicated and had a can of beer nearby, police said.
The children told police that they "had not eaten anything for hours" and that the 6-month-old "had only been given water to drink," the report said.
Garcia was being held at the main Broward County jail on $9,500 bond.