Perhaps the saying should be changed from “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” to “Don’t forget while attempting to shoplift to also bring your child with when fleeing the store.” A mother and her sister are accused of leaving a 1-year-old behind when running from a robbery attempt at Walmart.

Cops say the woman and her sister went into a Walmart in Florida and began shoving items of clothing inside the baby’s diaper bag. When they tried to leave the store, a loss prevention officer asked them to politely just come back inside, reports News 13.

The mom, 19, immediately fled, leaving the boy with her sister, who is 22. A few moments later, that woman broke free as well, leaving the kid at the store. They were picked up by a getaway van.

Cops finally caught up with them a day and a half later at a dance club and arrested them, says the Gainesville Sun.

The grand total of their ill-advised scheme? $57.12 worth of clothing. Meanwhile the baby is with the Department of Children and Families. His mother is being charged with child neglect, petty retail theft and resisting a merchant. She was supposed to be on house arrest until 2012 in connection with a home invasion robbery with a firearm.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of parents forgetting the fact that they have offspring in the heat of the shoplifting moment. At least in that case, the parents went back for the baby right away. Maybe next time don’t bring your kids on your crime spree?

Mom, aunt accused of leaving 1-year-old at Walmart after robbery attempt [News 13]
OPD: Theft suspects who left baby are found at dance club [Gainesville Sun]

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