SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. — Walton County Sheriff’s Office responded to Seacrest Dental Complex in Santa Rosa Beach on Thursday evening after a child was seen crossing all four lanes of Highway 331 into its parking lot, according to a report by the WCSO.
A semi-truck driver stopped and told a patron he almost struck the child in the roadway.
Deputies were with the toddler more than 40 minutes before a 911 call came in from the Sanctuary Apartments in reference to a missing child.
The investigation found the child’s mother left the toddler with a babysitter identified as Christian Stewart, 26, a Jamaican National, at the apartment complex.
The mother received a call from Stuart saying the child was missing. The mother then instructed her to call 911.
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The investigation found Stewart knew the child was missing but did not call law enforcement for an extended period of time.
It’s estimated the child was missing close to an hour before law enforcement was called, according to the WCSO.
The toddler is back in the care of its mother.
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Stewart was arrested and charged with child neglect. She was transported and booked into the Walton County Jail and is awaiting her first appearance.
