TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A 34-year-old man has been arrested for neglecting his children without great bodily harm after he failed to pick them up from school, police say.
According to officials, Than Chum was arrested on Oct. 14, around 3:57 p.m. after he was found intoxicated to the point of being unable to care for himself and his 1-year-old child.
Chum was accused of abandoning his two older children, ages 5 and 7, after he left the children at their elementary school nearly two hours after their pick up time.
The assistant principal of Frontier Elementary stated this was an ongoing issue with the father, and the school previously intervened on several occasions to ensure the safety of the children from their intoxicated father.
According to police, numerous bottles of vodka and beer were found inside the father’s residence and he “spontaneously stated to EMS personnel that he had drunk 15 shots of vodka prior to their arrival.”
Chum is currently being held on a $5,000 bond in Pinellas County.
