A Florida mother broke down in tears before a judge who condemned her for allegedly leaving her four young children, including a newborn, home alone while she went on a multi-day cruise.
Nathalie Belizaire, 29, is accused of abandoning the children at her North Miami Beach home while traveling to the Bahamas aboard a cruise ship on Friday.
Belizaire appeared in court on Tuesday, where Judge Mindy Glazer expressed disbelief as she read the allegations against her.
Wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, Belizaire wiped away tears as Judge Glazer was heard saying, “We are just grateful nothing happened to these kids.”
“Who leaves four little kids alone?” the astonished judge asked. Belizaire’s attorney attempted to stress that the claims remained allegations, but Glazer responded that police had “arrested her disembarking from the cruise ship.”
Belizaire was arrested on Monday after officers from the North Miami Beach Police Department met her as she stepped off the Carnival Conquest. Police said the children’s father had reported that the siblings were alone.
The father of Belizaire’s two-month-old child became concerned after seeing her post about the cruise on social media. He said Belizaire had told him that all four children were staying with their great-grandmother.
According to the arrest report, the father went to Belizaire’s apartment on Saturday night. He told investigators that he could hear the children talking and saw that a television was on, but there was no sign of Belizaire.
Florida mother Nathalie Belizaire, 29, allegedly left her children alone at her North Miami Beach home while taking a Carnival Conquest cruise to the Bahamas
Belizaire wiped away tears with her orange jumpsuit during her Tuesday appearance before Judge Mindy Glazer
First responders forced their way into the home and found “all four minor children inside without adult supervision,” according to the arrest document.
Police said the four children were discovered “hiding together in the bathroom.”
Authorities have not disclosed the ages of all four children, but said one was two months old and another was two years old.
After Belizaire’s arrest, her attorney said she denied the allegations. Speaking to NBC6, the lawyer said: “Of course she (denies the charges)…. One baby, the baby was born in July of this year. Who leaves a baby alone like that?”
Police alleged that Belizaire had arranged for the children’s great-grandmother to care for them. However, investigators said the relative told them Belizaire never arrived with the children before leaving for the cruise.
Belizaire also allegedly sent her brother a text message asking him to check on the children during the weekend.
NEXT UP: Blake Lively Reportedly Parts Ways With Longtime Publicist Leslie Sloane
The latest arrest is not Belizaire’s first encounter with law enforcement. She was arrested in January last year after allegedly pepper-spraying a neighbor in the face.
“Who leaves four little kids alone?” the astonished judge asked
Belizaire allegedly left her children alone at her North Miami Beach home, where police said all four were found hiding together in a bathroom
In that earlier case, police accused Belizaire of attacking the neighbor after an alleged dispute over claims that the woman had harassed Belizaire’s daughter.
The two women got into a verbal altercation before Belizaire allegedly went to her apartment and retrieved a can of pepper spray, before unloading it in the neighbor’s eyes.
Belizaire was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. The status of that case is unclear.
When she was arrested for allegedly abandoning her children, Belizaire was reportedly initially taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection.
She was then handed over to local police, and she is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami. Belizaire is now facing four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
At her first court appearance, officials said Belizaire declined to provide a statement to investigators and invoked her right to remain silent.
Belizaire’s bond was set at $10,000, as a judge admonished her for allegedly abandoning the children.
Belizaire was met off the ship by officers in Miami after the four-day cruise (stock image)
Belizaire’s arrest this week is not her first brush with the law. In January last year, she was arrested for allegedly pepper-spraying a neighbor in the face
‘You cannot make this up. It says she went on a cruise and left her children home alone,’ Glazer said during the hearing, per NBC6.
‘These poor kids, four of them, were home alone for three days… I’m just grateful nothing worse happened to these kids.’
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Noah’s Ark Hunt Takes Stunning Turn as Historic Map Matches Discovery