WALTON COUNTY, Fla. – A Santa Rosa Beach woman is facing a child neglect charge after allegedly leaving her 5-year-old son home alone for several hours while she took a trip to Target.
Late Thursday, October 16, Walton County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home on North Gulf Drive after receiving a call about a young child found alone in the roadway.
When deputies arrived, they spoke with the concerned citizen who found the child unsupervised and believed he lived nearby. Deputies located the child’s home and discovered that his mother, Maureen Oneill, 37, was not there.
After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Oneill, deputies learned she had texted a neighbor saying she was “okay.” Oneill later spoke with deputies and admitted she was returning from Target in Panama City Beach. She told deputies she had assumed a neighbor would watch her son but had made no arrangements for supervision.
Investigators determined Oneill had left her home around 5:40 p.m. and did not return until approximately 9:40 p.m. Deputies contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), which authorized the child to stay temporarily with a neighbor until his grandparents could arrive from Tennessee to take custody.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Oneill was arrested and charged with child neglect. She was taken to the Walton County Jail, where bond has not yet been set.
“This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring the safety and supervision of our children,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “We are grateful for the concerned citizen who acted quickly to ensure this child’s well-being.”
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