Cops: Child found wandering at Melbourne motel; 3 others alone in room

Mom, dad face neglect charges

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Two parents have been charged with child neglect after a child was found wandering at a motel, the Melbourne Police Department said.

Officers went Thursday to the River Palm Motel at 420 S. Harbor City Blvd. for a report about a 6-year-old child wandering around the motel without adult supervision.

Police said officers made contact with motel staff and the child, who took officers to her room where three other children, ages 7, 3, and 1, were found.

The motel room the children were in was in a less than sanitary and safe condition, police said, adding that officers discovered no food or drinks for the children, rotting food, bed sheets soiled with human waste, dirty diapers left exposed and numerous cigarette butts on the floor within immediate reach of all the children.

Police said it was apparent the children had no means to contact the parents in case of an emergency.

The room was on the second floor of the motel and accessed by a concrete stairwell. Police said on the motel's property is a swimming pool, and the motel is situated on U.S. 1, a major roadway with a significant amount of high-speed traffic.

Officers began searching for the parents using the phone numbers listed at check-in and other law enforcement databases, police said. Officers also began checking with hospitals and other facilities in attempts to find the children's parents.

Police said the parents returned to the motel after more than an hour and a half of investigation. The parents, identified by police as Shandra Gatlin, 33, and Samuel Rodney, 34, provided a story of their whereabouts, but the information provided could not be corroborated nor was any valid reason for leaving the children unattended for a minimum of an hour and a half provided.

Gatlin and Rodney failed to properly supervise and maintain a safe and healthy environment for their children, police said. Both parents were arrested and charged with child neglect as a result.

Police said Gatlin and Rodney were booked at the Melbourne Police Department and turned over to the care and custody of the Brevard County Jail.

The Florida Department of Children and Families responded and took custody of the children, police said.


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