Inset: Zonya Ray (The City of Opa-locka, Florida). Background: News footage showing the parking lot where a 5-year-old child was located (WTVJ).
A Florida municipal employee saw the criminal case against her thrown out after the police officer who wrote the citation failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing.
Zonya Ray, who serves as Parks & Recreation director for the City of Opa-locka, Florida, was cited in April after investigators alleged she left a 5-year-old child alone overnight inside a city-owned van. Local NBC affiliate WTVJ reported that Ray had been driving several children to and from football practice on the evening of March 10.
At about 6 a.m. the following day, the child was found in the parking lot after spending the night alone in the van.
Authorities said Ray admitted she did not inspect the vehicle to confirm no one was inside before locking it and leaving for the night. In an arrest report obtained by WTVJ and local CBS affiliate WFOR, Ray reportedly said she was unaware the 5-year-old had climbed into her van as she departed football practice.
Ray told investigators she began to suspect the child could be in the van after learning on the morning of March 11 that the child was missing. She then went back to the parking lot. Police said the child had been alone inside the parked van for more than eight hours.
On April 30, police cited Ray on a misdemeanor charge of leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle. Rather than being taken to jail, she signed documents agreeing to appear in court.
Ray was in court for her hearing on Tuesday, but the Opa-locka police officer who issued the citation was not. WTVJ reported from the courtroom that since the officer failed to show up for court, the case against Ray was dismissed.
WFOR reported on June 4 that Ray was fired from her job as the city’s Parks & Recreation director because of the charge, but her name and photo still appear on the city’s official site.
