Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On June 18, Sarah Diane Lefevers, 42, was taken into custody after she allegedly left her one-year-old daughter alone on a porch at an acquaintance’s house, claiming via text that she was boarding a plane.

The Gainesville Police Department reported in a sworn statement that on the evening of February 14, 2025, around 7:08 p.m., Lefevers abandoned her toddler daughter on the porch of a home belonging to a woman known to her only through the infant’s father.

The woman, who contacted the police, explained that Lefevers had sent multiple messages indicating she was flying away and expecting the child’s father to pick up the child as she intended to leave permanently. When the woman expressed her unwillingness to engage in the conflict between Lefevers and the child’s father, Lefevers allegedly responded, “I’m literally going to leave her on the porch.”

Lefevers then sent the caller a text that said, “My kid is outside your door call her dad.” The caller said she brought the child inside a few minutes later.

The officer noted that the child appeared to have some sort of rash on her face that had not been treated.

Lefevers has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm. She has one felony conviction (non-violent) and two misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); she was last arrested in August 2024 for drug possession and sentenced to two years of probation after pleading nolo contendere to one of the charges in November 2024. The arrest was her third violation of probation: her probation officer had previously filed affidavits alleging that she had moved from her address without notice, had failed a drug test, and had failed to show up at an appointment for a mental health evaluation. Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered her held without bail until the probation violation is resolved and set bail at $30,000 on the child neglect charge. Lefevers has remained in jail since June 18 and is scheduled to enter a plea in both cases on August 7.

[Editor’s note: We made a public records request for the sworn complaint in this case on June 19 and received it on July 23.]

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.