Motorists Stop To Help Toddler Wandering On Highway; 2 Charged With Child Neglect

Date Added: June 24, 2019 5:01 pm

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

MOTORISTS STOP TO HELP TODDLER WANDERING ON HIGHWAY; 2 CHARGED WITH CHILD NEGLECT

An Oak Hill man and woman were arrested on child neglect charges today after a motorist and a mail carrier found a toddler crossing U.S. 1 all alone, wearing only a dirty diaper with his arms covered in bug bites.

A Volusia County sheriff’s deputy found the defendants, 28-year-old Yajaira Tirado (DOB 5/7/1991) and 25-year-old Jacob Krueger (DOB 3/13/1994), passed out in their home at 440 S. U.S. 1, unresponsive until the deputy yelled at them and pounded on the wall.

The deputy knew where to find them because of a prior case with Tirado. In January 2018, she was charged with child neglect after a young child called 911 and responding deputies found two children left alone with a loose, aggressive dog in the house along with an unsecured shotgun and ammunition.

In today’s incident, a Titusville woman reported she was southbound on U.S. 1 shortly before 10:30 a.m. when she noticed the toddler trying to cross the road in front of her. She stopped her car in the road to intercept him and prevent any other cars from hitting him. A mail carrier also stopped to help, and was holding the 2-year-old boy when deputies arrived.

After recognizing the child, a deputy went to find Tirado and Krueger. He found them passed out in their mobile home, each apparently under the influence of drugs, frothing at the mouth and initially not responding to the sound of his voice. After the deputy yelled and struck the wall loudly, they woke up, got dressed and came outside.

During the investigation, the deputy placed the child in the back seat of his patrol car because there were broken beer bottles on the ground and several knives within the child’s reach. The home itself was in poor condition, with trash, dirty clothes and dirty dishes piled up, no separate kids’ room, and only one bed, which was just a mattress with no sheets. When asked about breakfast, Tirado said the toddler usually “pulls like bread and stuff out by himself.”

The boy was placed in the custody and care of the state Department of Children and Families, and Tirado and Krueger were transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail on their charges that carry $5,000 bond each.