MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - A Miami Gardens mother has bonded out of jail a day after, police said, she left her child unattended in the car while she attended a job fair in Miramar.
7News cameras captured 25-year-old Amber Collier as she walked out of the Broward County Jail, Tuesday night. She declined to comment.
Hours earlier, Collier appeared before a Broward County judge.
“Ms. Collier is before the court this morning for neglect of child without great bodily harm,” said Broward Circuit Court Judge Jackie Powell.
Miramar Police took Collier into custody after her 4-year-old daughter was found alone in a car with the air conditioning on, just after 11:30 a.m., Monday.
“She left her 4-year-old in a locked vehicle for approximately an hour so she could participate in a job fair,” said a prosecutor.
Collier’s attorney said her client, a single mother, was just trying to find work.
“Right now, she’s going through a tough time, and she wants to work,” said the attorney.
An employee of a Sam’s Club, on the 1900 block of South University Drive, noticed the young girl locked inside of a Nissan Altima and called 911.
When officers arrived on scene, they said the child was visibly upset, prompting them to ask her to unlock the car, according to the arrest form.
Both the engine and AC were on, and according to officers, the child said she felt fine.
Police were eventually able to track Collier down.
“Her response to law enforcement was that she left the 4-year-old a cellphone to contact the police if there was an emergency,” said a prosecutor.
Now, instead of meeting face-to-face with potential employers, Collier faces a charge of child neglect without great bodily harm.
“My concern is not that the child would have overheated,” a prosecutor said in bond court. “My concern is that in that period – over an hour – anyone could have gone into that car and taken that child.”
Collier’s attorney said the 25-year-old is also pursuing a college degree.
“She’s 25 years old. She’s a single mother. She goes to school, she goes to Florida National University, which is located in Hialeah. She’s studying medical coding,” said the attorney.
Surveillance cameras captured Collier walking into the building at approximately 10:30 a.m. and not coming back out until about an hour later.
Parents said Collier made a bad choice.
“Especially in the summer – not even in the winter – you’re not supposed to do that,” a passer-by said. “My son, I have him everywhere I go.”
Tuesday morning, Collier’s attorney asked the court for mercy before Powell set a $2,500 bond.
“She went for a job interview, and the allegation is, she left her child in her vehicle, but the vehicle was on with the air conditioning on,” said the attorney. “Now, that doesn’t excuse it. But, judge, sometimes in the financial situation that our economy is in, I mean, people are trying to do whatever they can to get employment to support their family.”
The incident was reported to Broward Sheriff’s Office Child Protective Investigations.
Even though she is out of jail, she will not be allowed to see her daughter until she goes before family court.
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