A school bus driver in Florida has been arrested after she allegedly failed to check her bus at the end of her route and left a 6-year-old boy onboard, who was later found wandering around her neighborhood alone.
Patricia Barberena was arrested Tuesday, June 2, and charged with child neglect with no great bodily harm.
Barberena, 62, picked the boy up and took him to school as normal. The boy fell asleep on the bus and did not get off with the other children when they arrived at the school, according to a Miami-Dade arrest report viewed by People.
After Barberena believed she completed her route, she apparently drove the bus to her home, parked it in a swale and went into her house.
The boy woke up about 15 minutes later and got off the bus before he began walking on Southwest 298th Terrace near Southwest 157th Avenue, according to the report. A pedestrian later found the boy and contacted the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
The school that the boy attends later contacted Barberena to report that he never showed up to class, so she went outside of her home to look for him.
Barberena later spoke to authorities and allegedly admitted that she did not inspect the bus to make sure everyone had gotten off once they got to the school.
“The defendant knowingly and willfully failed to provide her children with the care, supervision and services necessary to maintain the child’s physical and mental health that a prudent person would consider essential for the wellbeing of a child,” the arrest report stated.
After she spoke to authorities, Barberena was arrested and booked into jail. She appeared in court for her first hearing on Wednesday, June 3, and her bond was set at $2,500. She has since been released.
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Barberena submitted a written plea of not guilty, according to court records. She is next scheduled to appear in court regarding the charge on July 31.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case. An investigation into the case remains ongoing.
In the state of Florida, those found guilty of child neglect with no great bodily harm can be sentenced to serve up to five years in prison and five years of probation, while they can also be ordered to pay a fine of up to $5,000, according to law firm Hussein and Webber’s website.
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