Police in Florida arrested a father after he allegedly left his young daughter on the side of the road amid an argument. Hector Serrano Jr., 30, reportedly got into a dispute with his 10-year-old, leading him to leave her alone on a busy road in Kissimmee. Thankfully, the child was not harmed, but the outcome could have been deadly.
Osceola County Sheriff Marco Lopez told WESH that witnesses reported the incident and Serrano was arrested a short time later. He was booked in Osceola County Jail on one count of child neglect but was later released.
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Serrano allegedly got into an argument with his daughter's grandparents.
Lopez told WESH the incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. July 29 on US 192 near Scott Boulevard. Serrano reportedly got into an argument with the grandparents and then threw his daughter out of the car and left her to walk to the grandparents' house.
"Mind you, this area is about 21 minutes from grandma's house … Wolves exist, predators exist. You know, you throw a little 10-year-old girl out in an area like that, it doesn't matter what time of the morning or day it is, that's a reckless, irresponsible act," Lopez said.
Multiple people reported the incident.
According to WESH, an arrest report noted multiple witnesses allegedly saw Serrano throw the child from the car. He also reportedly took the child's belonging, such as toys and clothes, and threw them at her before pulling away in the car.
"Something bad could've happened to the little girl. Anybody could've kidnapped her. She could've become a victim to human trafficking," Lopez said.
Lopez said the girl was lucky she wasn't hurt.
In a separate interview, he told Fox 35 the area where the child was left is dangerous.
"If anybody's familiar with that area in Kissimmee, it's a very heavily traveled roadway," Lopez said. "Very touristy, pretty dangerous. We get a lot of pedestrians hit by vehicles in that area."
The sheriff condemned the father's behavior.
Lopez told Fox 35 that the child was emotionally overwhelmed, but thankfully, she wasn't physically injured.
"She was distraught at the time. She was crying, she was confused. She's a 10-year-old little girl. It's after midnight hours and it's dark," Lopez said.
He added that he hoped the father would get the help he needs.
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It is unclear what will happen to Serrano.
Per online jail records, Serrano was arrested on a charge of child neglect without great bodily harm and released. It is unclear when he will appear in court. Lopez told WESH that the Department of Children and Families is investigating the case.
