A Texas foster father is facing child-neglect charges after police say his 12-year-old foster son was found running through Miami Beach traffic in only his underwear, while a second child remained alone in a hotel room. The children had traveled with the man from Austin for a vacation, according to investigators.
Officers responded around 12:15 p.m. Thursday near Pine Tree Drive and 33rd Street after reports of a boy darting in and out of traffic, according to WSVN 7News. The boy ran into a nearby home and could provide little information beyond a phone number connected to his foster father, identified as 55-year-old Francisco Javier Lara.
Detectives traced Lara’s cellphone to the Catalina Hotel on Collins Avenue and found him in a guest room after several attempts to get him to answer the door. Police reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol on Lara, who reportedly believed it was about 7 a.m. even though it was closer to 2 p.m.
Police Say Two Foster Children Were Left Unsupervised
A second foster child, a 10-year-old boy, was found alone in the room with Lara, police said. Investigators also reported that both children were underage and had diagnosed mental disorders, circumstances they said made the need for close supervision especially important.
Hotel surveillance video allegedly showed Lara leaving and returning multiple times during the morning, while he reportedly had little recollection of his movements. Police determined that Lara failed to properly supervise the children by leaving them unattended, according to the arrest-report details.
The children were provided food, clothing and assistance from victim advocates after being brought to the Miami Beach Police Department. The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified, and both children were later placed in the agency’s custody.
Lara Held On Two Child-Neglect Counts
Lara was arrested and taken to jail on two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. During bond court Friday, a judge found probable cause and set his bond at $2,000, or $1,000 per count.
Florida law defines child neglect to include a caregiver’s willful failure to provide necessary care or supervision, and says neglect without great bodily harm is a third-degree felony, according to the Florida Legislature. The allegations described in the arrest report are not convictions, and the case will proceed through the court system.
