A Florida mom was arrested on a plane after she allegedly left her four children home alone so she could travel to Las Vegas for a work trip.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that Irene Miller was arrested after a juvenile called 911 around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, to report that a dumbbell had fallen on her 9-year-old brother’s head.
Deputies then responded to the home, where police learned that the three other children – ages 14, 12, 11 and 9 – were home alone at the time of the incident.
The 9-year-old was then transported to the hospital for treatment, and he has since been discharged.
The responding deputy later contacted Miller, who was identified as the children’s mother. Miller allegedly said that she was in Las Vegas for work, claiming that she left on October 18 and planned to return on Friday, October 23.
Miller allegedly went on to tell the deputies that she hired a babysitter, who was tasked to check on the children in the mornings, help them get ready for school and check on them after they returned from school.
Authorities contacted the children’s father, and he agreed to take them to his home. Once the kids were safely with him, detectives made plans to meet with Miller on October 23.
When Miller landed in Florida, she was arrested on four counts of Child Neglect without Great Bodily Harm. She was then booked into the Orange County Jail.
In addition to confirming her arrest, the police department shared bodycam footage that showed Miller exiting the plane as officers waited to take her into custody.
It’s not currently clear if Miller has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Us that Miller’s bond has been set to $4,000.
After the police department shared details of her arrest, several social media users took to the comments section to react to the case. While some sympathized with Miller, others applauded the police department.
“Different times. But I think the Mom handled it as well as she could. A 14 year old is usually old enough to handle things. And they did. Do we really need to add to this family’s problem by criminalizing Mom?” one person wrote, and another chimed in, “Good job to the [Sheriff] dept !!”
