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Mother accused of abandoning babyBy MELANIE AVE © St. Petersburg Times, published October 8, 2000 TAMPA -- Sherrine E. Roberts wanted the father of her 4-month-old son to take more responsibility for the tiny child when she decided to leave him on the doorstep of an east Tampa apartment Friday night. But authorities said the second-story apartment where Roberts, 20, abandoned the child was not the alleged father's home, as she had thought. It belonged to another man who discovered the child in a car seat an hour to two hours after the baby had been left in the foyer. Hillsborough County sheriff's officials said the child was discovered uninjured. The mother was arrested. The incident left some neighbors and authorities questioning how a mother could abandon an infant. "It's child neglect to leave a . . . baby out in the open," said Hillsborough Sgt. Rod Reder. "I don't care where it is. It's unconscionable. "If she's got a problem with the father, there were more appropriate steps to be taken. This child could have been hurt by a dog, insects, anything." Reder said the man, whom he would not identify, was leaving his apartment at 7403 N 56th St. in the River Bend Apartment Homes about 9 p.m. Friday. When he opened the door, he saw the baby in the blue-carpeted foyer, which is shared by four tenants. "Luckily he was walking out of the apartment," Reder said. The man saw a note from Roberts attached to the baby's clothing and recognized the name of the alleged father as someone who lived in the same building. The note to the father said "it was time for him to take care of the child," Reder said. The man called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies found the alleged father, and while they were interviewing him, Roberts called on the phone and said "she left the child because she didn't want to take care of his babies anymore," according to an arrest report. "She was yelling and screaming at him about taking responsibility for the child," said Reder, who declined to identify the alleged father. Roberts of 529 S Parsons Ave., Apt. 1513, in Brandon was charged with felony child neglect. She was released Saturday afternoon from the Hillsborough County Jail on $10,000 bail. The Florida Department of Children and Families said the infant will remain in its custody during the investigation unless the agency finds a relative to care for him, said agency spokesman Tom Jones. He said agency records show no child neglect or abuse history for Roberts or the alleged father. Martha Ostria with Today Staffing said Roberts has worked for her as a customer service representative for Verizon for about three weeks. "She's a really nice girl; that's all I know," she said. River Bend leasing agent David Dankerl said he was shocked to learn someone would abandon a baby at the apartment complex, which is gated and surrounded by shade trees. "That's a horrible thing to do," he said. "I feel sad when people are cruel to animals, much less human babies."
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