MARTIN COUNTY — Two Port St. Lucie parents were charged with child neglect after shoppers noticed their 7-month-old girl had been left alone in an unlocked car for half an hour Monday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.

Monica Alastra, 33, and Walter Lugo, 32, were taken into custody after they had been shopping at a fabric store in the 3500 block of Southwest Federal Way, Jensen Beach. They each posted $5,000 bail Monday.

Someone called 911 shortly after 7 p.m. when they noticed the infant was in the Toyota minivan in the store parking lot, the Sheriff’s Office said. Deputy Lynn Martella said she found the parents inside the store with a 3-year-old child.

“They seemed relatively calm. They saw that I was holding their child and they were looking at me and they wanted to know, could they have their baby and I said no,” the deputy said. “I said, ‘You understand you’re both going to be placed under arrest,’ and that is when they became upset.”

The infant in the minivan was sweaty and agitated, but did not require medical attention, the deputy said. The Department of Children and Families gave both children to another family member, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Alastra and Lugo told the deputy they had used poor judgment, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

WPTV Channel 5 contributed to this report.

Lamaur Stancil, TCPalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE — A 42-year-old man was arrested after allegedly leaving his baby daughter alone in a vehicle at a business on South U.S. 1, according to an affidavit released Wednesday.

Tyrone R. Anderson, of the 1900 block of Southeast Hillmoor Drive in Port St. Lucie, faces a felony child neglect charge following the Tuesday afternoon incidents in the 10700 block of South U.S. 1.

A witness reported seeing the vehicle about 4:30 p.m. with the baby inside. The vehicle was running and no adult was present. The witness said another person indicated the vehicle was parked in the same spot about 3:45 p.m.
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