A Florida woman was arrested after she abandoned her 2-year-old son in a running car so that she could go swimming and “meet sharks” off a local pier. Allison Sarah Daugherty, 41, was seen parking her car and turning the radio up before getting out, jumping into the water, and swimming for approximately 20 minutes while her child was in the vehicle, WFLA reports.
1. People were screaming at Daugherty to get out of the water.
With multiple people realizing that the young child was left alone in the car, they began shouting at the woman, beckoning her to get out. They also warned her that there were sharks in the water as well as fishing hooks and she could end up seriously injured.
2. Allison Sarah Daugherty didn’t care about the danger.
In fact, she told witnesses that much from out in the water, claiming that she “wanted to get hooked” and “would want to meet sharks,” per WBBH.
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4. It took a local marine unit to get her back to dry land.
When deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrived, Daugherty is said to have swam further away and refused to come in. Eventually, the marine unit retrieved her from the water and brought her in.
5. This wasn’t the first concerning incident.
An employee at Capt’n Cons Fish House, a local restaurant, said that they’d seen Daughtery and her son multiple times that week at the restaurant and were concerned about her “odd” behavior, especially given the child’s young age. “We called the sheriff’s office; she didn’t seem drunk. She didn’t seem intoxicated,” said employee Jenny Wray. “Something was just off. If it was me and that was the situation, I would want somebody to take my baby in and make sure he is safe.”
6. Daugherty was taken to the Lee County Jail and charged with one count of child neglect.
It’s unclear how she intends to plea and whether or not she was released.
