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Port Charlotte woman charged with infant neglect

Posted at 9:39 AM, Dec 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-02 09:39:53-05

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Charlotte County deputies say a woman fired a gun into her front door from inside her home and then headed to a bar, leaving an infant in the home alone, on Thanksgiving night.

Deputies responded to the home after receiving a call from a woman who had gone to check on a neighbor and found a bullet lodged in the front door. The woman said that neighbor, Victoria Hidalgo had called her, and “sounded as though she was under the influence of alcohol.”

Deputies who entered the Hidalgo home discovered a child left in a crib unsupervised. The child was left in the care of a family member while investigators searched for Hidalgo. She was later found in a vehicle driven by a third party; the driver said they had just come from a local bar.

“There is no excuse for an infant to be left in a home alone, nor is there a good explanation for the discharge of the firearm," said Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell. "It is clear that this woman’s priorities are way out of order, and I hope this experience serves as a wake-up call for her. I pray that things change and the child is properly cared for moving forward.”

Victoria Hidalgo was taken into custody on a charge of Child Neglect without Great Bodily Harm. She was taken to the Charlotte County Jail and is currently out on bond.