Tamonda Johnson, a 32-year-old Canton woman, was short on cash and badly in need of some dough to pay rent. She made the only logical choice in such a situation: she made her way to an internet sweepstakes cafe.
One problem: Johnson had her young son with her and no cash for a babysitter. Next logical decision: bring the kid and let him sleep in the car.
Yep, from around midnight to the cops’ arrival at 4:30 a.m., the boy slept in the backseat of the car, which was off and thus not blasting heat on a chilly 36-degree night.
19 Action News has the details from the disturbing night at Cyber City Cafe:
Deputies responded to the parking lot of Cyber City Café at regarding a suspicious vehicle running in the parking lot.
Upon their arrival at 4:30AM, they located the suspected vehicle (not running) and observed a small child sleeping on the rear seat of the vehicle.
Deputies made contact with an employee of the Cyber City Café, but the employee had no idea who owned the vehicle. Deputies then questioned patrons gambling inside the establishment.
32-year-old Tamonda Lisa Johnson came forward and stated the vehicle belonged to her. She was questioned as to why her small child was sleeping in the rear seat. She said she was attempting to win enough money to pay her rent and didn’t have a babysitter to watch her son. She explained that she had been going in and out of the business and starling the vehicle and letting it run periodically to keep her son warm.
Johnson was booked on one count of child endangering and the kid was taken to Child Protective Services.
This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2010.
But wait, internet cafe’s aren’t really gambling…are they??? That kid has a snowball’s chance in hell as long as he’s with her.
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I live in South Florida and just about every other week a child dies from being left in a vehicle whyle the paerent is either at the Hard Rock Cafe playing black jack or drinking and the bar. Most recent was a mother who left her 3 year old in the car while she was at work. Temperature was over 140 degrees in the locked car were the child baked to death. VERY stricked laws here….The mother her manager and the owner of the company are all charged with first degree murder.. no excuse..