Largo mother arrested for leaving two kids in Family Dollar parking lot, police say
LARGO, Fla. - A Largo mother was arrested after leaving her two children at a Family Dollar parking lot on Wednesday, police said.
The Largo Police Department said Merissa Susan Bowers was arrested for DUI and two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. She was found by law enforcement at her home intoxicated, and Largo police said she didn't know where her kids were.
Bowers drove to the Family Dollar with her two kids on Wednesday in a gold minivan, according to police. Her two kids went into the store, but when they came back outside, they found out Bowers was no longer at the Family Dollar, Largo police confirmed.
Both kids were found behind the South side of the Family Dollar in tears after being left unattended in the parking lot, LPD officials said. A person in the area found the children and stayed with the kids until law enforcement arrived on scene, investigators said.
Both children told officers they were left at the store, and officials said they later found Bowers at home. Bowers is still in jail, according to LPD.