VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – An Ormond Beach man was arrested on Thursday, nearly two weeks after his 18-month-old son died from being “left helpless” for hours in a hot truck, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Scott Gardner, 33, left his son, Sebastian, in the truck for over three hours on June 6.
During that time, Gardner went in for a haircut and then went drinking at Hanky Panky’s Lounge, deputies added.
[VIDEO BELOW: Body-cam video details dad’s arrest]
According to investigators, Gardner later provided several false accounts of what happened that day.
In a news conference on Friday, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Gardner was in the lounge from noon to 2:40 p.m.
“For two hours and 40 minutes, that little guy is inside that car. He (Gardner) says the windows were down — but he’s a lying sack of [expletive] — with a little mini fan with AA batteries blowing on the baby,” said Chitwood.
At one point, Chitwood said Gardner went to check on the bartender’s car after a customer backed into it, but he didn’t bother to check on his son.
It wasn’t until Gardner drove home that he called 911, Chitwood said.
“It was estimated by medical personnel that Sebastian’s body temperature reached 111 degrees during this tragedy,” the news release reads. “The same OBPD officer who tried to revive Sebastian placed Gardner in handcuffs (on Thursday) as he was taken into custody at his mother’s home in Ormond Beach.”
Chitwood said hours after the child was pronounced dead, Gardner then went back to the bar.
[WATCH: Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood explains a timeline of events in the case of a hot truck death]
“He picks up his mother and they go back to Hanky Panky’s for a few more cocktails,” Chitwood said. “I don’t think there’s a penalty on this Earth that could ever fit for the crime that was committed here. It absolutely shocks the conscience for this to even happen.”
Gardner, who faces charges of child neglect and aggravated manslaughter of a child, is being held without bond.
“My hope for him is every night when he closes his eyes and every morning when he opens his eyes, his son, Sebastian, just sits there and says, ‘Dad, why did you do this to me?’” Chitwood said.
The sheriff’s office released body-camera footage of Gardner’s arrest, which can be viewed at the top of this story.
[WATCH: News 6 speaks with locals in the aftermath of Gardner’s arrest]
“It’s shocking and aggravating at the same time,” said Adam Haluska, who lives near Hanky Panky’s Lounge. “You could be drinking in a different setting, like at home, instead of being selfish and going out.”
Stephen Miksits, another nearby resident and father of two, called the incident “despicable.”
“We all know it’s going in the news. Leaving kids in a car is a recipe for disaster,” Miksits said. “I wouldn’t have left my kids in the car when they were little, and I wouldn’t now, even though they’re older.”
[VIDEO: Deputies arrest man on manslaughter charge]