An eight-month-old infant is in protective custody after Key West police found he had been living in a filthy car. Two adults also living in the car were arrested for abuse and neglect of a child. Key West Police first spotted the older model gold Cadillac Wednesday parked on Thomas Street behind the County Courthouse at 4:40 a.m. and again on the 500 block of Whitehead Street at 7:30 a.m. Four to five people were sleeping in and on the car, it was stuffed with clothing and other articles and smelled foul.
At 10:50 a.m., officers found the same people, with an infant, smoking and drinking in a public restroom at Simonton Beach. Police took the child and two adults to the police station and called the Florida Department of Children & Families. After seeing the condition of the car, a DCF worker took the child into protective custody.
Eugene D. Curry, 24, and Melissa Lee Gaston, 20, were arrested for abuse and neglect of a child. The car was towed away.
Key West has lots of traffic lights. And lots of drivers are running them, risking their own safety and others' as well by running red lights.
"Running red lights is a notorious cause of serious crashes and injuries, causing 22 percent of urban traffic crashes nationwide," said Key West Police Traffic Safety Officer Frank Blasberg. "It's a major safety problem."
A ticket for running a red light costs $78, adding three penalty points to the violator's driving record, plus the possibility of losing automobile insurance if the violation caused an accident.