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Auburndale mother arrested after lying to protect daughter accused in hit-and-run that left child hospitalized

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Published  April 3, 2025 5:31pm EDT
Polk County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • An Auburndale mother was arrested after police said she lied to protect her daughter accused in a hit-and-run crash that left a 6-year-old child hospitalized. 
    • The 6-year-old was flown to Tampa General Hospital and is listed in stable condition.
    • The daughter confessed to leaving the crash scene, because she only had a learner's permit.

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - An Auburndale mother was arrested after police said she lied to protect her daughter accused in a hit-and-run crash that left a 6-year-old child hospitalized, according to police. 

The Auburndale Police Department said Shannon Hudson, 34, is accused of driving the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run crash, which is owned by her mother, Cheryl Alexander, 68. 

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What we know:

Officers said they responded to the crash just after 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday at the intersection of Reiter Drive and Robert Avenue in Auburndale. The crash involved a 6-year-old who was hit by a silver Mazda SUV, which left the crash scene but stayed in the neighborhood where it happened. 

The 6-year-old was flown to Tampa General Hospital and is listed in stable condition, officials said. 

Dig deeper:

Officers found the suspect's vehicle off of Robert Avenue, where they also found Alexander. She originally told Auburndale police that she didn't have any knowledge of the hit-and-run, but a piece of the vehicle's grill was found at the crash scene, which matched the SUV. 

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Alexander then claimed that her daughter, Hudson, had been driving the vehicle, but said she left hours before the crash happened. 

However, police found more inconsistencies with Alexander's statements, which led to an APD sergeant asking to search her home. That's when Alexander confessed that Hudson was hiding inside the home and that she lied to protect her daughter from getting arrested, according to investigators. 

Hudson was found hiding in the bathroom, and she was identified as the hit-and-run driver by witnesses. She confessed to leaving the crash scene, because she only had a learner's permit, according to APD. 

Alexander was also arrested for providing police with false information during their investigation. 

The Source: The information in this story was released by the Auburndale Police Department. 

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