DELTONA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man was arrested Wednesday after two toddlers were found wandering in a Walmart parking lot in their diapers while he was passed out behind the wheel, according to deputies.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said the children, ages 2 and 3, were spotted running through the parking lot by shoppers.
A witness told deputies that the children were almost hit by a vehicle. However, the shoppers managed to get the children to safety and got them proper clothes before authorities arrived.
Body cam video showed a responding deputy arrive at the scene while the shoppers directed him to the vehicle where the children had come from.
“The kids ran out of the vehicle, and they’re half-naked,” a witness is heard saying.
The deputy is seen approaching the vehicle where Dejoune Killingbeck, 35, was lying unconscious behind the wheel.
As the deputy woke Killingbeck up, the man seemed to be delirious and unaware of what was happening. According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect had a cut straw in his pocket that tested positive for oxycodone and fentanyl.
Deputies said Killingbeck was supposed to be watching the two toddlers while their mother was in the store. When asked about the children and their mother, Killingbeck believed they were still in the vehicle.
The video showed the deputy confront Killingbeck on the matter.
“No, they weren’t with mom!” he said. “They were with you! Ok? So I’m figuring it out!”
Killingbeck then said he thought he was told the children were with the authorities, but the deputy corrected him, saying they were with Walmart staff.
“They went with Walmart staff after they ran in the parking lot in nothing but a diaper while you were sleeping at the steering wheel, right?” the deputy said. “So for now, put your hands behind your back.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the children were reunited with their mother. The Department of Children and Families was contacted about the incident.
Killingbeck was arrested on two counts of child neglect, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with evidence and driving with a suspended license.
