BREVARD COUNTY, Florida (WESH) -- A Palm Bay woman was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm after leaving a 4-year-old at a Chuck E. Cheese for four hours in West Melbourne.
“The employees noticed that the child was wandering around and they were not able to locate the guardian of the child so they notified us,” said Lt. Graig Erenstoft with the West Melbourne Police Department.
According to police, the guardian of the child, Sheteria Steadman, was at the restaurant for a birthday party with nine other children and two adults.
In the police report, she said that she thought someone put the boy in the car and that he fell asleep.
“When we got there, we were able to review camera footage to determine when the child was dropped off and by who. And then to determine that, when that part left that they did not bring that child with them,” Erenstoft said.
West Melbourne police say that after several attempts, they were able to get ahold of Steadman, and she then went immediately to the restaurant, arriving just after 11 p.m.
She and her group left at 7 p.m.
The child was taken by the Department of Children and Families that night, and after West Melbourne police conducted interviews, Steadman was arrested two days later on March 4.
Police credit Chuck E. Cheese staff for helping track down the guardian.
“They went to social media and showed a picture of the child, and someone recognized the child and was able to share the guardian information with us,” Erenstoft said.
Steadman is out on bond and it’s not clear at this point if the child is still in the care of DCF.
