TAMPA — A 911 call about two people slumped over in a U-Haul van at a North Dale Mabry Highway gas station ended with two adults in jail and two children handed over to a relative, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says.
What deputies say happened
Deputies were called to the gas station in the 6300 block of North Dale Mabry at 7:35 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, after the caller reported two unresponsive people inside the van, according to an HCSO news release.
They found Vilmarie Acosta Diaz, 46, slumped in the passenger seat. Her two children were in the back with no seat belts or car seats. As deputies walked up to the driver's side, the van began rolling forward.
Deputies got the driver's attention and ordered him to stop and get out. The driver, Arian Hernandez Hernandez, 44, had red, glossy eyes and was unsteady on his feet, the release says, and he was arrested.
When Acosta Diaz got out, deputies say they found narcotics on the passenger seat. A search of the van turned up methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and several prescription drugs: alprazolam, which is sold as Xanax, and two muscle relaxants, cyclobenzaprine and methocarbamol. Deputies say the methocarbamol was loose and within reach of the children.
There were no child safety seats in the van, and the family appeared to be living in it, according to the Sheriff's Office.
“There is no excuse for this,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release. “Two children, no car seats, drugs within arm's reach, and an impaired driver behind the wheel. These kids deserved better.”
The charges
Acosta Diaz is charged with two counts of child abuse, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a drug without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Hernandez Hernandez is charged with driving under the influence.
The children
A family member came to the gas station and took custody of both children. The Sheriff's Office hasn't released their names or ages, and hasn't said how Hernandez Hernandez is related to them, FOX 13 reported.
The Sheriff's Office called it an active investigation and said it would share updates through its Public Affairs Office. Charges are accusations, and both adults are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.