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A 41-year-old lawyer, Patricia Anne Bronson, has landed in some very hot water. She has been accused of child neglect—a case that’s ignited quite a bit of back-and-forth discussion. Patricia was babysitting two children, ages 7 and 3, either for a friend or family member; that part is still unclear. She decided to take them to the beach, and that’s when things went south. Authorities report that she left the children unattended for 45 minutes. During that time, the 3-year-old ventured into the water, where nearby Good Samaritans intervened, rescuing the child and alerting the police. When Patricia returned, she informed officers that she had been attempting to park the car. That seems like an odd excuse. She now faces charges of felony child neglect.
A Florida attorney is facing felony child neglect charges for allegedly leaving two young girls alone on the beach — with a 3-year-old wandering into the surf by herself.
Patricia Anne Bronson, 41, allegedly left the toddler and her 7-year-old sister alone at Upham Beach Park in St. Pete Beach for up to 45 minutes on Saturday, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.
When bystanders alerted police about the unattended youngsters, the older girl told them her little sister was in the water — where deputies found her waist-deep.
Bronson, a Tampa attorney, allegedly admitted that she was caring for the girls and had dropped them off on the beach, then left to park her car, the outlet reported.
Bronson was listed as the children’s “caregiver” on police records. It is not clear if she is related to the pair or was watching them for a relative or acquaintance.
She was charged with two counts of neglect of a child without great bodily harm and booked at the Pinellas County Jail…
This online comment sparked some interesting discussion:
“When I was 8, my mom would have me watch my brother who was still in diapers, while she did her house work or talked on the phone and I never let him wander off.”
Many people grew up occasionally taking care of their siblings, but it’s a significant responsibility to put on a young child—especially at 7 years old, left alone on a beach with the gigantic ocean presenting such a glaring (and deadly) risk. That woman should’ve known better, and whoever entrusted her with those kids probably won’t make the mistake of asking her to babysit ever again.
This story thankfully has a happy ending, but the potential for disaster was way too high. Thank God those kids are okay.
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