ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A father accused of leaving his toddler in a hot truck in Florida while he got a haircut and drank at a bar was indicted on first-degree murder, according to court records.
On June 6, Scott Allen Gardner, 33, was arrested by Volusia Sheriff’s Office deputies working with the Ormond Beach Police Department after they said he left his 18-month-old son, Sebastian, in a hot truck for more than three hours while he got a haircut and went drinking.
Medical personnel estimated that Sebastian’s body temperature reached 111 degrees while inside the vehicle.
Initially, he was charged with aggravated manslaughter, but court records showed the charges were upgraded this week.
The murder charge is in addition to Gardner’s charges of aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm.