NOVEMBER 1--In a story so Florida it hurts, a woman was arrested Tuesday after allegedly leaving her two small children alone in a hot car that had a bag of 
methamphetamine on the front seat while she shopped at a Dollar Tree store.
Investigators allege[1] that Nicole Buffington, 24, left the minors in the vehicle for nearly 30 minutes. Police responding to a 911 call found the children--a seven-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl--Tuesday afternoon.
Cops also discovered a bag containing a crystalline substance “on top of clutter on the driver’s seat.”[2] A field test revealed that the substance contained methamphetamine.
Buffington, seen above, was subsequently contacted inside a nearby Dollar Tree store and arrested on child neglect and narcotics possession charges. She was booked into the Pasco County jail, where she remains locked up on $10,000 bond.
According to her Facebook page, Buffington works at McDonald’s. A police report, however, lists her as unemployed.
Buffington’s rap sheet includes multiple arrests for narcotics possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as collars for theft and failure to appear in court. (2 pages)
References
- ^ allege (thesmokinggun.com)
- ^ “on top of clutter on the driver’s seat.” (thesmokinggun.com)