Judge grants bail to Orlando day care worker accused of leaving toddler in van

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A judge on Friday granted bail to a 51-year-old ex-day care employee accused of leaving a 3-year-old boy in a van for nearly 12 hours.

Police said Deborah St. Charles was arrested Thursday on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child in connection with the death of Myles Hill, whose body was found Monday at Little Miracles Academy.

During the hearing Friday, the judge set St. Charles' bail at $30,000 and stipulated that she not work at a child care facility or have unsupervised contact with minors.

A defense attorney for St. Charles tried to persuade the judge to lower her bail, saying that she couldn't afford to pay it and doesn't have a criminal history.

The judge declined the request but said that he might consider reducing her bail during a future hearing.

The attorney questioned the quality of the investigation.

Watch St. Charles' hearing below:

"This investigation could have been better," he said. "They assumed certain things about her."

St. Charles, who was tearful during the hearing Friday, was a child-care personnel/school-readiness employee at the day care.

Police said St. Charles exited the van twice without checking for the toddler. They said St. Charles answered a phone call while retrieving her belongings from the vehicle.

The Florida Department of Children and Families on Wednesday closed the facility's two locations.

Investigators said that St. Charles wasn't an approved driver on the facility's roster.

Records said the day care violated checks that could have possibly prevented the tragedy from happening.

Vehicle logs showed a pick-up time and a signature of Myles' grandmother, but they didn't include a signature from the driver or a second employee verifying that a visual sweep of the vehicle was completed.

Police said the cause of Myles' death was hyperthermia due to environmental exposure and that the manner of his death was accidental.

The temperature in the van was as high as 144 degrees by 3 p.m. Monday, investigators said.

Myles' family has started a Change.org petition calling for a state law to, among other things, allow parents electronic access to the logs day care workers are supposed to keep.

The law which they want to call, "Check for Myles," would also require upgrades in security alarms in day care vehicles.

Cox Media Group