Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
UNIVERSITY, Fla. - A Hillsborough County father was arrested after five young children were left unattended at home, including a 3-year-old child who was found wandering alone, barefoot, along a busy roadway, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Hillsborough child neglect arrest
The backstory:
HCSO deputies responded shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday to North 42nd Street near Hellenic Drive after a witness found the child walking alone along the roadway.
Deputies located the child's home in the University area and found the front door open, according to HCSO.
Dig deeper:
Inside the home, deputies found four other young children who were left alone by a parent or caregiver, HCSO said.
Deputies also found the stove turned on and smoking, while the youngest children were wearing soiled diapers, the sheriff's office said.
During the investigation, deputies learned the children's mother was at work and had left the children in the care of their father, Glenn Jones, 41, according to HCSO.
Jones returned to the home during the investigation and was arrested. He faces five counts of child neglect.
The Source: The information in this story was provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.