VERO BEACH, Fla. — Two people were arrested Saturday after leaving two young children unattended in a Vero Beach hotel room to play at an area arcade, according to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said Martina Shaw, 34, and Aaron Doby, 35, of Vero Beach left the children, ages 3 months and 18 months, alone inside a room at the Vero Beach Inn and Suites.
According to the sheriff's office, the cleaning staff at the hotel heard the children crying inside one of the rooms but assumed an adult was in the room with them. A few minutes later, a housekeeper returned and the children were still crying.
Officials said a staff member entered the room and found the 3-month-old covered in pillows and the 18-month lying on the bed, close to the edge, and not wearing clothes.
The hotel staff alerted the agency and deputies responded to investigate.
According to investigators, Doby went to the front desk at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 2, to extend the hotel stay by one day. He then left the hotel.
The sheriff's office issued a "be-on-the-lookout" for the vehicle associated with the couple and was able to locate the vehicle at the Venetian Arcade, across the street from the hotel.
The pair were arrested at noon, deputies said.
Shaw and Doby face two counts each of felony child neglect. They remain in the county jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
