Louisiana Gambler Charged After Allegedly Leaving Child in Car at Casino

Posted on: October 6, 2021, 02:21h. 

Last updated on: October 6, 2021, 10:03h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A 35-year-old Louisiana woman is facing three charges after she allegedly left a child unattended in a car this weekend at a Roanoke casino, allowing her time to gamble.

Security officers for Peto’s Travel Center and Casino spotted the 8-year-old child in the car on Saturday night. They then contacted the Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office at about 11 pm.

Deputies arrived and found the child’s mother, later identified as Sandra Sasser Britt of Lake Arthur, in the gaming property. She was gambling, deputies reported.

She was then taken to the car. Casino security was nearby watching the child.

‘Dangerous Substances,’ Drugs Found

Deputies questioned the woman. They saw a syringe in her possession, according to a report from the sheriff’s office. It contained a brown residue that deputies suspect is narcotics, the report said.

The syringe was stored in a cigarette pack belonging to Britt. She handed it over to deputies.

Britt was charged with child desertion, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the deputies said.

She was held in the parish jail this past weekend. Her case was turned over to a local court for prosecution. The child appeared to be unharmed.

Unattended Kids at Casinos

Similar incidents have taken place nationwide over the past year. Last month, a 10-year-old boy was left alone in a running car outside of Oklahoma’s Newcastle Casino.

The mother was arrested after the car was stolen. So, too, was the man who allegedly took the car with the boy inside. The child was later found safe.

A man identified as Seth Grant, 36, was arrested for carjacking by the Canadian County Sheriff’s deputies, according to KFOR, a local TV station. The mother was not immediately identified.

In April, a Florida physician faced two charges of neglect after leaving two children unattended in her car. Dr. Marieny Elena Guimera-Revelo allegedly left them in the car while she played poker at Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Prosecutors claim she was at a poker table in the casino for at least 12 minutes. The children were 3 and 11-years-old at the time.

In July, a baby was found alone in a car parked at Bighorn Casino in North Las Vegas on a hot’s summer’s evening. A man was later arrested. Police said he was gambling in the venue and appeared intoxicated. Mitchell Anthony Hooks, 39, of Las Vegas, was charged with child abuse and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle.