Florida Judge Scolds Mother Accused of Leaving Children for Cruise
A Florida mother faces child neglect charges after allegedly leaving her four children, including a newborn, unattended for days to embark on a Caribbean cruise.
A Florida mother was shamed by a judge after allegedly abandoning her four young children, including a newborn and a toddler, to go on a multi-day Carnival cruise. Nathalie Belizaire, 29, appeared before Judge Mindy Glazer on Tuesday, visibly distressed, as the judge reviewed the accusations.
Belizaire is accused of leaving the children in her North Miami Beach home from Friday to Monday while she traveled to the Bahamas. Police arrested Belizaire on Monday as she disembarked from the Carnival Conquest cruise ship. The arrest report states one of the children's fathers reported the siblings had been left alone after seeing Belizaire post about her cruise on social media.
According to the report, the father went to Belizaire's apartment on Saturday night and found the children inside without adult supervision. First responders later entered the home and found all four children "hiding together in the bathroom." Authorities confirmed one child was two months old and another was two years old.
Belizaire's attorney has stated she denies the charges. Police allege that while Belizaire had arranged for the children's great-grandmother to care for them, the relative informed investigators that Belizaire never brought the children to her before departing for the cruise. Belizaire also allegedly texted her brother, asking him to check on her children over the weekend.
Judge Glazer expressed shock during the court hearing, stating, "We are just grateful nothing happened to these kids." She added, "Who leaves four little kids alone?" Police indicated Belizaire invoked her right to remain silent and declined to provide a statement. Her bond was set at $10,000.
This is not Belizaire's first encounter with law enforcement. In January of the previous year, she was arrested and charged with aggravated battery for allegedly pepper-spraying a neighbor. The status of that case remains unclear. For the current charges, Belizaire faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.