NEW PORT RICHEY — A 19-year-old caregiver was arrested Sunday after authorities said she let a toddler nearly wander into a busy street while she was inside playing video games.
Maxine Marie Phillips, of 7245 Plathe Road, faces a charge of child neglect after a passerby found the 2-year-old girl she was caring for inches away from the intersection of Rowan and Plathe roads, a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report said. Phillips, the report said, had no idea the child was gone. Authorities said Phillips previously had been warned to be more mindful of the child, the report said.
Officials did not describe the relationship between Phillips and the child.
Phillips was being held Monday at the county jail in lieu of $2,000 bail.