DeLand woman accused of leaving 7-year-old child alone in car at a bar

DELAND, Fla. — A DeLand woman was arrested early Sunday morning after police say she left a child alone in a car for hours outside a local bar.

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DeLand police officers responded to The Perfect Spot Bar on Flightline Blvd. just before 3 a.m. Sunday after the seven-year-old girl walked up to the bar looking for her mother, later identified as 35-year-old Veronica Elliot.

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Investigators say the vehicle was unlocked, turned off and in a dark parking lot with no lights.

A DeLand officer stayed with the child while others began searching for Elliot, but she wasn’t found.

According to police, Elliot walked up to the search scene at approximately 6:30 a.m. and asked what time it was.

The officers noted Elliot was covered in dirt and missing her shoes.

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When told what time it was, police say Elliot acted surprised and told them she only meant to be away for 10 minutes.

Elliot was booked into the Volusia County jail Sunday on a charge of child neglect without great bodily harm. She has since been released on bond.

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