A mother from Dothan is facing charges in Florida for allegedly abandoning two of her three children at a Destin hospital late at night.
On Friday, November 3, 34-year-old Erica Suzanna Cook was arrested in Destin, Florida, and charged with two counts of unlawful desertion of a child.
According to an arrest report, on the night of August 14, Cook was driving through Destin with her three children, one of whom was an infant.
She reportedly told her two older children that they needed to help her get gas money. She then pulled over in the parking lot of the Destin Emergency Room, and the two children got out. Cook then drove away.
The report states that a security guard witnessed the incident and saw the two children chasing after the vehicle as it drove off. The security guard brought the children inside with a nurse.
Deputies from Okaloosa County mentioned in the report that Cook returned to the ER a short time later and asked the security guard about the children. When she was informed that they were with the nurse, Cook told the guard she needed to go outside to get the infant from the car. However, she drove away and did not return.
Deputies stated that they made multiple attempts to reach Cook after the incident, but when these efforts failed, a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Records from the Okaloosa County Jail show that Cook was booked on a $2,000 bond and is currently awaiting her first appearance in court.
