Inset: Zonya Ray from the City of Opa-locka, Florida. Background: News footage of the parking lot where the child was found (WTVJ).
In Florida, a city official saw her legal case thrown out because the police officer who filed the charge failed to attend the court hearing.
Zonya Ray, who serves as the Parks & Recreation Director in Opa-locka, Florida, was cited back in April when she was accused of leaving a 5-year-old unattended in a city-provided van overnight. As reported by local NBC affiliate WTVJ, Ray had driven multiple children to and from their football practice the night of March 10.
At approximately 6 a.m. the following morning, the child was found alone in the van in a parking lot after spending the entire night there. The incident was documented by local news coverage.
Police said Ray acknowledged that she did not check the van to make sure it was unoccupied before she locked it and went home for the night. According to an arrest report obtained by WTVJ and local CBS affiliate WFOR, Ray said she did not realize the 5-year-old had gotten into her van when she left the football practice.
Ray told police that she realized the child might be in the van when she was informed on the morning of March 11 that the child was missing. She then returned to the parking lot. Police said the child was alone in the van, in the parking lot, for more than eight hours.
Police issued Ray a citation for leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, on April 30. Instead of being booked into jail, Ray signed paperwork promising to appear in court.
Ray was in court for her hearing on Tuesday, but the Opa-locka police officer who issued the citation was not. WTVJ reported from the courtroom that since the officer failed to show up for court, the case against Ray was dismissed.
WFOR reported on June 4 that Ray was fired from her job as the city’s Parks & Recreation director because of the charge, but her name and photo still appear on the city’s official site.