MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A Texas foster father was arrested after Miami Beach police said one of the two children in his care was found running through traffic wearing only underwear while he was allegedly intoxicated and unaware the child was missing.
According to an arrest report, officers responded around 12:15 p.m. Thursday to the area of Pine Tree Drive and 33rd Street after receiving reports of a 12-year-old boy running in and out of traffic.
Officers located the child, who ran into a nearby home before they were able to safely secure him.
Police said the boy was unable to provide much information other than a phone number belonging to his foster father, later identified as Francisco Javier Lara, 55, of Austin, Texas.
Investigators traced Lara’s cellphone to the Catalina Hotel on Collins Avenue, where detectives located him in a guest room after several attempts to get him to answer the door.
According to the report, detectives asked Lara if he knew where his son was.
Police said Lara looked around the room and only then realized one of the children was missing.
Detectives also reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol on Lara and said he incorrectly believed it was about 7 a.m. when it was actually around 2 p.m.
A second foster child, a 10-year-old boy, was found alone in the hotel room with Lara. Police said both children were underage and had diagnosed mental disorders.
After being taken to the Miami Beach Police Department, the children were provided food, clothing and assistance from victim advocates while the Florida Department of Children and Families was notified.
During an interview, Lara told detectives he had traveled to Miami Beach from Texas with the two foster children for a vacation.
Investigators said hotel surveillance video showed Lara leaving and returning to the hotel multiple times throughout the morning, but he reportedly had little recollection of those movements.
Police determined Lara failed to properly supervise the children by leaving them unattended in the hotel room despite their ages and special needs.
Both children were released into the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Lara was arrested and taken to jail.
During bond court Friday, a judge found probable cause, set Lara’s bond at $2,000 ($1,000 per count) and ordered him held on two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
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