Man Accused of Leaving Baby Unbuckled in Running BMW for 2 Hours So He Could Go Gamble at Casino

A man in Florida is facing criminal charges after he allegedly left a baby unbuckled and alone in his BMW for two hours so he could go gambling at a nearby casino.

Gregory Foster was slapped with a third degree felony charge for child neglect without great bodily harm, according to court records reviewed by Globe. If convicted, he faces up to five years in state prison, according to Florida statutes available online.

According to arrest records, the Seminole Police Department was dispatched at approximately 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, to the Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, Florida, by security personnel for a black BMW allegedly still running in the parking lot with an infant inside.

The responding officers reported seeing the baby “in the middle of the backseat … in a child seat but not buckled in.” According to security personnel on the scene, per the affidavit, the baby had been alone in the car for approximately one hour at that time.

Police said they forced entry through the driver’s side front window due to no visible movement, per the report, and found the child was sleeping but otherwise unharmed. According to casino.org, the high temperature in Hollywood that day was 83 degrees Fahrenheit.

Security personnel made contact with Foster, 28, per the affidavit, who was allegedly “in the Seminole Classic Casino playing at a table.” He allegedly told police he only left the infant alone for 45 minutes, according to the report, but casino security reportedly said he had been inside for two hours.

According to CBS News, Foster reportedly said the child’s mother was in school in Davie, Florida, at the time of the alleged incident. It is not clear what relationship, if any, Foster has to the child, CBS News noted, adding that Foster has reportedly been ordered to stay away from the baby.

The suspect was arrested and booked into the Broward County Sheriff’s Office main jail on a $2,500 bond pending trial, per his arrest records. No further court dates have been publicly revealed, nor is it known if Foster entered a plea.

Foster’s arrest comes just 10 days after a couple was arrested outside the same casino on November 1 for leaving three young children, between the ages of 1 and 6, in their Jeep for approximately one hour while they were inside gambling.