Background: Bodycam footage of a 5-year-old boy talking to North Miami Beach Police officers on March 7 (North Miami Beach Police Department). Inset: Britley Louis (North Miami Beach Police Department).
A Florida woman was ordered to stay away from her own son after the little boy flagged down police to tell them she allegedly left him alone to go to Walmart.
Britley Louis, 23, was arrested on March 8 after North Miami Beach Police Department officers said her 5-year-old son was left alone the night before. In body camera footage from the department that was shared with Law&Crime, the little boy, whose name has not been made public, can be seen approaching police officers, who asked him if he was alone. After telling an officer that his mom went to Walmart, he said, "She didn't tell me what time she would come [home]."
Another officer asked the boy if he lived nearby, and he answered, "Mmhmm, by myself." He further explained he lived by himself "because my mommy left me."
In an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, the officers said the boy was outside wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt without pants or shoes. Police said he asked for help and pointed out the house where he lived. When officers tried to make contact with someone inside, no one answered the door.
After finding the open door through which the boy exited the house, officers went inside to find living conditions that indicated "signs of hoarding," police said. The house was dirty with "rotten food residue everywhere" and covered in spiderwebs. The smell coming from the refrigerator was "unbearable," police said.
Police eventually identified Louis as the boy's mother, who did not answer several calls from investigators. According to the affidavit, Louis told an agent with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) that a friend of hers would come pick up the boy. That friend told authorities that she was not "comfortable" taking custody of the boy, and he was placed in the care of the DCF.
As Louis was leaving her home the following day, police placed her under arrest.
Louis was charged with child neglect and unlawful desertion of a child. She was released from jail and ordered not to have any contact with her son. Her next court date is scheduled for April 7.
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