A woman has been arrested and charged with felony child neglect after Cocoa police said a child in her care was found wandering the streets in a soiled diaper.Trimeka Dixon, 45, was taken into custody Tuesday.Police responded to the neighborhood near London Boulevard and Robin Hood Drive after a witness called 911 to report a 3-year-old child walking alone in the roadway wearing only a diaper, according to an arrest affidavit. Another neighbor told police he had seen the same child walking in the road unsupervised on three previous occasions.”But they only contacted us the week prior,” Cocoa police spokesperson Yvonne Martinez said. “We got DCF involved in it. It happened again, and we responded on Tuesday. That’s when they decided to arrest the guardian.”Once officers contacted Dixon, they determined the child had been left unsupervised for more than an hour and a half. Dixon told police someone else was supposed to be watching the child.”Nobody was there. Nobody was home,” Martinez said. “When we responded, the neighbors were out there with the child. Our officers went in and searched the home for a family member or someone who was watching the child, and there was nobody around.”Martinez said the case appeared to show a pattern of neglect.The child is now staying with other family members. Police are urging residents to report suspected neglect or abuse.”You don’t know what could have happened to that child,” Martinez said. “That’s a very dangerous situation — happening once is bad enough, but for it to happen as many times as they say it did? That child is lucky not to have been seriously injured, kidnapped or worse.”The Florida Department of Children and Families confirmed it has an open case and said a representative is working to provide a report.We attempted to reach Dixon at her home for comment. A family member said she had nothing to say.
A woman has been arrested and charged with felony child neglect after Cocoa police said a child in her care was found wandering the streets in a soiled diaper.
Trimeka Dixon, 45, was taken into custody Tuesday.
Police responded to the neighborhood near London Boulevard and Robin Hood Drive after a witness called 911 to report a 3-year-old child walking alone in the roadway wearing only a diaper, according to an arrest affidavit. Another neighbor told police he had seen the same child walking in the road unsupervised on three previous occasions.
“But they only contacted us the week prior,” Cocoa police spokesperson Yvonne Martinez said. “We got DCF involved in it. It happened again, and we responded on Tuesday. That’s when they decided to arrest the guardian.”
Once officers contacted Dixon, they determined the child had been left unsupervised for more than an hour and a half. Dixon told police someone else was supposed to be watching the child.
“Nobody was there. Nobody was home,” Martinez said. “When we responded, the neighbors were out there with the child. Our officers went in and searched the home for a family member or someone who was watching the child, and there was nobody around.”
Martinez said the case appeared to show a pattern of neglect.
The child is now staying with other family members. Police are urging residents to report suspected neglect or abuse.
“You don’t know what could have happened to that child,” Martinez said. “That’s a very dangerous situation — happening once is bad enough, but for it to happen as many times as they say it did? That child is lucky not to have been seriously injured, kidnapped or worse.”
The Florida Department of Children and Families confirmed it has an open case and said a representative is working to provide a report.
We attempted to reach Dixon at her home for comment. A family member said she had nothing to say.