Couple arrested after allegedly leaving 7-year-old alone in Hard Rock garage

Sintia Pinargote and Carlos Enrique Herrera Pluas

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A couple visiting the U.S. on vacation has been arrested after a 7-year-old girl was left alone inside the parking garage of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood.

Carlos Enrique Herrera Pluas, 32, and Sintia Pinargote, 31, were arrested Sunday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm. The girl was found alone inside the car at 12:31 a.m.

Recommended Videos



Both Pluas and Pinargote, who are from Ecuador, appeared in bond court Monday.

Pinargote claims she went to the Hard Rock to pick up Pluas and only left the child in the car for a short period. However, security video shows the couple arriving together and a time-stamped voucher proves they were inside for at least an hour.

The Department of Children and Families has taken the girl into custody.

Pluas and Pinargote were being held on $5,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with the child.