Mom Arrested After Child Found Surrounded By Drugs
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Reports of a stolen motor scooter led Miami Police to a room with a child surrounded by drugs, police said.
Around 4:30 a.m., police were following 26-year old Osniel Machado who they believed was riding a stolen motorcycle.
They followed him to Motel San Juan on SW 9th Street and SW 24th Avenue where they lost him but discovered something else.
An officer saw Maidalys Oduardo-Paneque returning to the motel room and she allowed him in, police said. Once inside police said they discovered a 2-year old boy in a room laying next to crack cocaine and marijuana.
"Once inside of the room, he saw the 2-year old child unattended sleeping in a bed. He was 2-years old today. In the room, the child was surrounded by crack cocaine and marijuana," said Commander Armando Aguilar with Miami Police.
The 25-year-old mother was arrested.
Exclusive video obtained by CBS4 captured Oduardo-Paneque being taken in for processing.
"The mother was arrested for child neglect and narcotics," said Aguilar. "It was inside the bathroom and on the nightstand, in the bedroom and everywhere you went there were drugs."
It's a situation they say could have had serious situations.
"Just a terrible situation. To think that the child could have harmed himself with any of the cutting materials for drugs, that he could have ingested any of the narcotics, that he could have been seriously injured or killed. That is something to think about," said Aguilar.
While Oduardo-Paneque does not have a criminal history, records show that Machado in the past three years has been arrested for cocaine possession, grand theft, burglary and resisting arrest.
Neighbors said they are concerned.
"It's hard to know that there are people out there who have such disregard," said neighbor Nardo Perez.
Elena Perez said, "That is not to be forgiven, leaving a child like that. They should take the child away from her."
She added, "He is an angel, just two years old."
The motel manager says the mother, her child and boyfriend had lived at the motel for two months, paying $343 a week for rent and says there had been no problems before.
The boy is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. A shelter hearing is pending.
As for Machado, he remains at large. Police say the motor scooter he was riding was stolen from Coral Gables.
They are asking anyone with information to come forward or make an anonymous call to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471 -TIPS.
