A woman, aged 50, was taken into custody this past weekend following a report from a concerned witness who noticed two unsupervised girls selling candy along Ocean Drive, as confirmed by Miami Beach police.
The witness and her husband were having a meal at a restaurant on Ocean Drive and Seventh Street when they were approached by the girls, who seemed to be younger than 12, as stated in the arrest report.
According to the witness, she inquired the girls about their candy-selling activities. In response, the girls revealed that their grandmother was located on 12th Street and Ocean Drive, eagerly waiting for them to sell all the candy. Disturbingly, they expressed that failing to do so would lead to something terrible occurring.
Officers conducted a thorough search of the vicinity and observed five children entering a parked blue Dodge Caravan located at the intersection of 12th Street and Ocean Drive, according to police.
Tamara Smith, from Lauderdale Lakes, was then contacted by the authorities.
The report stated that Smith’s grandchildren and her own children were among the five children that the officers had learned about.
The police have reported that the youngest child involved in the incident is only 6 years old.
The report states that while the children were selling candy, they had no means of communicating with Smith. At times, they were even out of sight, as far as five blocks away.
According to the arrest report, the children had to navigate through crowded areas near nightclubs and cross several intersections with oncoming traffic on Ocean Dr. The surroundings were poorly lit, and this occurred as late as 10:00 pm. The defendant was waiting in the vehicle for the children to return.
Smith faced arrest for child neglect, but without causing any serious bodily harm.
The report states that Smith’s adult son, Taril Smith, who happens to be the father of one of the children, was the one to whom the children were released.
The police confirmed that Taril Smith had no outstanding warrants before they released the children to him.
The incident has been reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Tamara Smith is currently in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bail being set as of Monday afternoon.