Seminole Police: Man Left Infant in Running Car to Gamble

The Seminole Police Department says a 28-year-old Florida man left an infant in his running vehicle while he gambled for hours inside a casino.

The incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday (Nov. 11) in Broward County at the Seminole Classic Casino. The tribal casino is located in Hollywood between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Gregory Greg Foster was charged with felony child neglect without great bodily harm after casino security came across his running 2018 BMW in the Seminole parking lot around 11:06 a.m. Upon inspection, the officers noticed a nonresponsive infant unbuckled in a car seat inside the vehicle.

Seminole Police broke through the car’s window to reach the baby. The infant was found to have been asleep, and a medical evaluation determined that the child was unharmed.  

The high temperature on Nov. 11 in Hollywood reached 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

Casino Surveillance Finds Suspect

Seminole Classic Casino is one of six casinos owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The 73,000-square-foot venue is the oldest in the portfolio, with the casino often credited as being a pioneer of Indian gaming. Today, Seminole Classic offers over 1,000 slot machines, live dealer table games, and a sportsbook.

The casino also has a network of security cameras, which helped police locate Foster gambling at a table game.

Foster told the security officials that he had left the infant in the running vehicle for about 45 minutes. The “eye in the sky” told a different story, with footage showing Foster entering the casino more than two hours earlier.

Foster’s third-degree felony charge for child neglect is punishable by up to five years in state prison. Foster is listed as a resident of Sunrise, Fla., which is northwest of Hollywood.

The relationship between Foster and the child wasn’t detailed in the police report. Foster has been ordered not to have any contact with the infant. It’s unknown who took the child into their care.

Broward County court records show that Foster is also facing an active criminal traffic case. In October, Foster was charged with a misdemeanor for driving without a driver’s license and driving a vehicle without lights at night.

Second Incident in Two Weeks

The Nov. 11 incident comes less than two weeks after a father and his girlfriend were arrested for allegedly leaving three children between the ages of one and six in a non-running vehicle with the windows rolled up while they gambled. Terrence Wright and Lillian Munn were charged with felony child neglect without bodily harm.

Police reported that the children had beads of sweat running down their faces and no access to food, water, or a telephone.