Delray Beach witnessed an alarming situation over the weekend when a local bartender was found unconscious in her vehicle, accompanied by a distressed toddler. According to a CBS12 report, deputies were dispatched to the scene near Hamlet Country Club at around 6:30 p.m., discovering Monica Pagan asleep with a one-year-old boy lying on the rear seat floorboard, who was sweating but injury-free.
Evidently disoriented and uncooperative, Ms. Pagan attempted to abruptly depart from the scene with the child. "I'm going home," she claimed, seeking to deflect the gravity of her position. In an effort to protect the child, deputies had swiftly to intervene, a struggle ensuing that left one officer kicked between the legs and another bitten. The report by WPBF detailed that Pagan assaulted multiple law enforcement officers and needed to be sedated before being transported to Boca Medical Center for treatment.
The charges against Monica V. Pagan are severe and numerous, including child neglect, child abuse, and several counts related to battery and resisting law enforcement officers. The initial arrest was sparked by a 911 call about a woman passed out in her car, drawing immediate concern for the vulnerable child placed in harm's way as the Florida sun bore down on the idle vehicle. "The vehicle was turned off," WPBF reports.
Following the confrontation and subsequent arrest, Pagan has since been released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $9,000 bond.
