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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – An Ormond Beach man was arrested on Thursday, nearly two weeks after his 18-month-old son died from being “left helpless” for hours in a hot truck, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
In a release, deputies said that the man — identified as Scott Gardner, 33 — had left his son Sebastian in the truck for over three hours on June 6.
During that time, Gardner went in for a haircut and then went drinking at Hanky Panky’s Lounge, deputies added.
According to investigators, Gardner later provided several false accounts of what happened that day.
“It was estimated by medical personnel that Sebastian’s body temperature reached 111 degrees during this tragedy,” the release reads. “The same OBPD officer who tried to revive Sebastian placed Gardner in handcuffs (on Thursday) as he was taken into custody at his mother’s home in Ormond Beach.”
Now, Gardner faces chargers of child neglect and aggravated manslaughter of a child. He is held on no bond.
However, the sheriff’s office provided body-camera footage of Gardner’s arrest, which can be viewed at the top of this story.
Per the sheriff’s office, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood is scheduled to provide more details about the case in a news conference on Friday.
News 6 will stream the conference live at the top of this story when it happens.
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