SARASOTA, Fla. — A grandfather and father are facing child neglect charges after police found them passed out in a hot car with two unresponsive toddlers in the back seat.
Police say when they found 51-year-old Paul Houle and 22-year-old Paul Houle III they were both under the influence of alcohol. Police also found empty bottles of alcohol and an open beer in the car.
They were inside the parked vehicle with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old in the back seat — both unresponsive when police found them. The car was parked in direct sunlight, with the windows rolled up and the air conditioning off.
"The windows were up and we believe the children and the adults were in there for about twenty-five minutes," said Sarasota Police spokesperson Genevieve Judge.
Police say all four victims were pale and visibly sweating when they found them. A passerby noticed them and called 911. Witnesses say they were in the car for 25 to 30 minutes.
The two men told police they didn't know what was going on. They were both arrested and taken to Sarasota County Jail.
51-year-old Houle was charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance for having Dextroamphetamine on him — a drug usually used to treat ADHD.
22-year-old Houle was also charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
Both of the children are currently in the custody of the Department of Children and Families.
