’40 Under 40′ healthcare exec arrested for leaving baby on Florida beach
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A rising star in the Texas healthcare industry who was recently honored on the national “40 Under 40” list was arrested along with her husband after leaving their six-month-old baby on a Florida beach, authorities said.
Deputies were called to Miramar Beach around noon on Oct. 10 after beachgoers found a baby alone under a tent near 4000 Sandestin Boulevard, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses told officers the baby had been alone for about an hour and the parents were walking along the shoreline with their other three children. Other citizens who went to the beach contacted the local police.
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Sara Sommers Wilks was charged with child neglect after her child was found unattended on a beach in Florida for nearly an hour. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
When deputies arrived, South Walton Fire District personnel evaluated the baby and determined he was not in distress, according to a statement shared on the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
A short time later, Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, and Brian Wilks, 40, from Houston, Texas, returned to the scene.
The couple reportedly admitted to putting their child under the tent for a nap before leaving. Facebook’s press release stated that they claimed to have lost track of time.
Security footage reviewed by investigators also confirmed that the couple had not been there for about an hour and had left their mobile phones behind with the baby.
Both were arrested and charged with child neglect without causing great bodily harm, a third-degree felony under Florida law.
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Brian Wilks faces child neglect charges along with his wife after leaving their child on a Florida beach for an hour. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
They were booked into the Walton County Jail and released the next day on $1,000 bail each.
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) took custody of the couple’s four children until relatives from Texas arrived to pick them up.
Somers Wilks serves as the Southeast Texas Regional President for US Heart and Vascular, a healthcare group supporting cardiovascular practices in Texas, Alabama and Arizona.
Earlier this year, he came to the fore Cardiovascular Business magazine The “Forty Under 40” list recognizes him as an innovative and influential leader in cardiology management.
FATHER AND SON DROWN IN LAKE MICHIGAN DURING THE WEEKEND FAMILY BOAT TRIP.
Healthcare executive Sara Sommers Wilks, who was on the ’40 Under 40′ list, was arrested with her husband for leaving their baby alone on the Florida beach.
In a Facebook statement, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office reiterated its commitment to children’s safety and expressed gratitude to those who responded to the beach.
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“We are grateful to the quick-thinking beachgoer who raised the alarm and to those who stepped in to care for the child with the kindness and concern they showed,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in the post.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.
