ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orange County woman faces a child neglect charge after she allegedly left her 12-year-old daughter alone at a bar at Universal CityWalk to visit a nearby club.
Amanda Laurel Thorpe was charged following an investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.
Deputies said they responded to a report of a missing juvenile at the CW Shoreline Bar at approximately 10:28 p.m.
The investigation determined that Thorpe had left the area to visit the Red Coconut Club while the juvenile remained behind at the initial location.
According to a sheriff’s office report, witnesses at the CW Shoreline Bar notified a bartender after observing the child left alone.
Deputy A. Duran and other assisting deputies found the 12-year-old sitting on a bar stool.
Investigators described the girl as visibly upset and crying when they arrived at the scene.
The juvenile told deputies that her mother was already intoxicated before an unidentified patron said something that upset her.
When Thorpe expressed a desire to move to the Red Coconut Club, the child said she wanted to return to their hotel room because she was tired.
Thorpe allegedly responded with an obscene gesture and verbal insult before leaving the bar without her daughter.
Universal security members eventually located Thorpe on the dance floor of the Red Coconut Club.
Deputies reported that she was found alone with an alcoholic beverage in her hand.
When questioned, Thorpe claimed she believed the child was with her the entire time or was back at their hotel room.
Deputies noted several indications of impairment while speaking with Thorpe, including red, bloodshot eyes and an “uncontrollable swaying of the body.”
The deputy also reported a scent of alcohol on her breath and observed that she was unbalanced while walking.
During the interaction, Thorpe commented on the situation to the investigating officers. “I was confused about why I would possibly go to jail, as I had done this before,” Thorpe said.
Following the investigation, she was taken to the Orange County jail on a charge of neglect of a child.
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