In a heartbreaking and utterly infuriating case of depraved negligence, a Florida father is behind bars after allegedly leaving his 18-month-old son to suffer a slow and agonizing death inside a sweltering truck—while he casually got a haircut and threw back shots at a local bar.
Scott Allen Gardner, 33, of Ormond Beach, is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter and child neglect after his young son Sebastian died inside a locked vehicle in 92-degree Florida heat. While the child baked in the backseat, Gardner was inside Hanky Panky’s Lounge drinking beer and Fireball, apparently without a care in the world.
“This father is a human piece of garbage and he is a lying sack of —,” said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood during a Monday press conference. The sheriff’s raw emotion echoed the feelings of every decent American: outrage, sorrow, and disbelief.
The events unfolded on June 6 when Gardner parked his truck outside Classic Cuts around 11:30 a.m., left his toddler strapped in a car seat, and strolled across the street to the bar. He spent hours inside drinking, even stepping outside to observe a minor car accident—yet never once checked on his son.
“How in the world can you be so messed up that you would allow your child to sit back there in 90-degree weather… and never go near your son?” Chitwood asked.
By the time Gardner drove back to his mother’s house hours later, the toddler had already succumbed to the brutal heat. When Gardner finally called 911 in a panic, it was far too late. First responders found Sebastian in full rigor mortis, with an internal body temperature over 107 degrees.
Instead of mourning or cooperating with authorities, Gardner returned to Hanky Panky’s bar that evening—with his mother in tow. He stayed until midnight, according to officials. Let that sink in: the same day his son died a horrific death due to his own neglect, Gardner was back at the bar ordering drinks.
“There is no reason for this little boy to be dead,” said Sheriff Chitwood, who held nothing back in his condemnation of Gardner. “My hope for him is that every night when he closes his eyes, and every morning when he opens his eyes, his son Sebastian is sitting there asking, ‘Dad, why did you do this to me?’”
Gardner was arrested two weeks later and is currently being held without bond. Authorities said he attempted to make excuses, including claims that he left the windows cracked and had a small fan in the vehicle—lies quickly debunked by the evidence.
This tragedy didn’t happen because of a system failure or a freak accident. It happened because a selfish, irresponsible man chose alcohol over fatherhood. And now, a precious child is gone forever.
There are few crimes as cruel and cowardly as the abandonment of one’s own child. Gardner doesn’t just deserve to be locked away—he deserves to feel the weight of his guilt for the rest of his days.
