Judge hopes for 'hot' prison cell for Florida dad who left son to die in car
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A Florida man was sentenced to more than 40 years behind bars for leaving his toddler son in a hot car for three horrific hours while he got a haircut and went to a bar.
On June 6, 2025, Scott Allen Gardner, 34, left his 18-month-old son Sebastian in his truck at Ormond Beach while he went to Classic Cuts, then to Hanky Panky’s Lounge for drinks, according to a news release from the Office of the State Attorney 7th Judicial Circuit.
Meanwhile, Sebastian remained in the vehicle’s back seat with the windows down, no air conditioning and only a small, battery-powered fan pointed at him, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a news conference at the time.
“Medical personnel estimated the child’s body temperature had reached 111 degrees [Fahrenheit] and he had been dead for at least an hour by the time he arrived at the hospital,” the State Attorney’s release stated.
The investigation and plea deal
Gardner reportedly lied to investigators from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Ormond Beach Police Department about the tragic incident, the State Attorney said.
He was arrested on June 19, nearly two weeks after his son’s death, and had been held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail since.
Gardner pleaded no contest on Thursday to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm as part of a plea agreement, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
He was sentenced to 42 years in prison.
‘Shattered a family’
Lorena Dague, Sebastian’s mom, remembered her son’s beautiful smile, blue eyes and “silly little laugh that could fill a room” in her victim impact statement during Gardner’s sentencing hearing, per WOFL .
“The short 18 months I had with Sebastian will never be enough, but I cherish every single minute we shared together,” she continued, before directing her anger toward Gardner.
“You took away a sweet and innocent life, and you shattered a family,” she said. “I hope you truly understand the magnitude of what you stole from this world.”
She however did tell him that she forgave him, “for my own heart and for my boys.”
Judge lets Gardner have it
Judge Kathryn Weston determined Gardner guilty and told him he deserved life in prison, but she thanked him for accepting the plea, which avoided a trial next month that first responders, jurors and Sebastian’s family members wouldn’t have to relive.
The judge called Gardner’s actions “shocking and horrific” before detailing what it must have been like for the little boy.
“His skin became red. His pulse became rapid. He had trouble breathing … . He probably had a really bad headache and was dizzy or nauseous. And you caused that,” the judge told him, per the News Journal .
“At 18 months he was probably saying some words; probably said ‘dada,’ probably followed you around and idolized you,” Weston said. “You had options. That’s what makes this so senseless. You could have dropped him off at a police department or fire station. You could have called his mother. You could have dropped him off at any public place. But instead you intentionally caused his slow and very painful death.”
Weston didn’t let up, telling Gardner: “I do hope your dreams are haunted by the birthdays and the holidays and all of the life events that Sebastian won’t be celebrating. I hope that it’s hot in your prison cell.”