A Florida mother found herself in handcuffs after her two young sons, left unsupervised for about three hours, embarked on a solo journey across a busy roadway to Walmart.
Tanice Spence-Clarke, 38, faces charges of child neglect without bodily harm following an incident that unfolded over the weekend in Casselberry, according to an arrest affidavit from the Casselberry Police Department.
Concerned citizens alerted authorities when they spotted the two boys, whose ages were not disclosed, unattended at the Walmart on State Road 436 in Casselberry around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday.
According to the affidavit, a woman approached a police officer, expressing concern for the children who had been left alone for about 45 minutes.
Attempts to reach their mother, Spence-Clarke, proved futile, as she was nowhere to be found at the barbershop where the children were last seen.
The boys’ father, contacted by police, was unaware of their whereabouts, prompting further alarm. It was revealed that the children had walked approximately 1.2 miles from the barbershop to the Walmart, navigating the bustling SR-436 roadway unaccompanied.
Upon her arrival at Walmart around 8 p.m., Spence-Clarke was taken into custody. During questioning, she provided inconsistent explanations for her absence and displayed confusion when pressed for details. Her account of purchasing groceries at a nearby supermarket failed to align with evidence, as no receipts or groceries were found in her possession.
Moreover, contradictory statements from Spence-Clarke’s brother-in-law and her alleged mechanical issues with her vehicle raised suspicion about her whereabouts and actions during the time her children were left unsupervised.
The arrest affidavit highlighted Spence-Clarke’s culpable negligence in failing to provide proper care and supervision for her sons, endangering their well-being by leaving them unattended for an extended period without knowledge of their whereabouts.
Spence-Clarke was booked into the Seminole County Jail and subsequently released after posting $2,500 bond, court records indicate.
