Grandchildren left in car while Fla. woman gambled

[July 21, 2009]  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida woman has been sentenced to 14 months of house arrest for leaving two grandchildren alone in a parked car while she went to play the slots.

A Broward County judge also gave the 54-year-old woman three years' probation Monday.

Authorities say the woman left the children in a car parked outside a Hallandale Beach casino in August 2008. The windows were down, but the air-conditioning was off.

A witness saw the 2-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy in the car and told the casino's security.

The prosecutor tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the woman had pleaded guilty to charges including felony child abuse and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

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Information from: South Florida Sun Sentinel, http://www.sunsentinel.com/

[Associated Press]

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