A man and a woman were arrested Sunday after the woman’s three children were found sweating inside a parked vehicle at the Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood, according to an arrest affidavit. Terrence Dirod Wright, 42, and Lillian Mun, 32, were taken into custody after casino security discovered the children in the north parking lot at 4150 N. State Road 7.
Seminole police said officers were called shortly after 1:30 a.m. after security reported three children in a vehicle that was not running. The children initially appeared unresponsive, but security opened the door and found all three conscious and sweating. Officers said they could feel heat coming from the vehicle when the rear doors were opened. Seminole Fire Rescue medics checked the children and determined they did not need medical treatment.
Surveillance video showed the vehicle arriving around 11:50 p.m. Investigators said Wright went inside shortly after parking and later told them he had come to use the bathroom and could not find the keys. Mun told officers the car shut off because it had a push-to-start ignition, and said she went in to look for the keys. Police said video contradicted her account, showing her entering about 12:38 a.m. and sitting near Wright at a slot machine. Neither adult was seen returning to check on the children.
According to the affidavit, the children were left for about an hour in a car with the engine off and windows up. The outdoor temperature was 76 degrees with 89% humidity. The children had no food, water or phone, and officers gave them water at the scene.
Wright and Mun each face three counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and two counts of leaving a child younger than 6 unattended in a motor vehicle. Both were booked into the Broward County Main Jail. The children were released to a friend of Mun, and the Florida Department of Children and Families was notified for a follow-up investigation.
