Florida Doctor Allegedly Leaves Kids in Car While She Gambles

Posted on: April 13, 2021, 11:22h. 

Last updated on: April 13, 2021, 01:35h.

A Florida physician is facing two charges of neglect after she allegedly left two children unsupervised in a locked car with the engine running. It was parked outside of a Hollywood gaming property where she went to play poker.

Dr. Marieny Elena Guimera-Revelo, 43, was arrested on two counts of child neglect on Sunday, according to WBBH, a local TV station, based on Broward County jail records. She went into the Seminole Hard Rock Casino for about an hour while the children were unattended, police said.

Prosecutors claim she was at a poker table in the casino for at least 12 minutes. Casino surveillance video also showed her apparently not looking at text messages on her phone while in the casino.

During a court appearance on Monday, Florida Judge Tabitha Blackmon ordered her to avoid contact with the kids.

The children are 3- and 11-years-old. They were spotted by police in the casino parking lot around 3:15 pm.

Hollywood Temps More Than 90 Degrees on Sunday

High temperatures in Hollywood, Florida were about 91 degrees on Sunday, according to AccuWeather. It was unknown if the air conditioning was operating in the car.

Guimera-Revelo is reported by the UK Daily Mail to be the children’s mother. Her relationship with the kids could not be immediately confirmed on Tuesday.

The court just has a lot of concerns for the well-being and safety of these children, that they could have easily been taken by somebody with a running car, with the keys in the car,” Blackmon scolded Guimera-Revelo during the court appearance, WTVJ, a local Florida TV station, reported.

Blackmon set total bond for Guimera-Revelo at $20,000. She has no prior arrests, the Daily Mail said.

Guimera-Revelo specializes in internal medicine, the report adds. She was born in Cuba.

Other Unattended Children at Casinos

Across the US, children have been left unattended at casinos. For instance, in December, Miriam Ramos, 26, allegedly abandoned her three-year-old girl in a Wynn Las Vegas casino restroom.

Several weeks after allegedly leaving the child, Ramos was located in California. She was arrested by the US Marshalls Service on Feb. 17 and was extradited to Nevada. Her court case is pending. The child was not injured.

Also, in March 2020, a three-year-old autistic boy was left in a locked, unheated car for a half hour while his father went into Lincoln, R.I.’s Twin River gaming venue to place sports bets, state police claimed. The temperature was in the mid-30s on the windy winter’s day.

The father, later identified by state police as Mitchell Cuevas, 38, of Providence, was arrested for cruelty to or neglect of a child, and obstructing an officer in execution of duty. It was unclear how the case was adjudicated. The child apparently was not injured.