Daycare Employee Arrested for Neglect After Toddler Wanders Onto Busy Fruitland Park Highway

FRUITLAND PARK, Florida — A Lake County daycare worker faces felony child neglect charges after a toddler managed to escape a playground area and wander directly into the middle of a major highway. The incident occurred on Friday morning, June 12, 2026, at the Luv N Hugs Learning Center located on East Fountain Street in Fruitland Park, prompting an immediate investigation by local law enforcement and state child welfare officials.

Local resident Rick Maui was driving along U.S. Highway 27/441 with his nephew when he spotted the lone child standing exposed in the center of the active roadway. Maui described feeling a wave of panic as he made an immediate U-turn to shield the toddler from oncoming traffic. Fortunately, two other alert commuters had already stopped their vehicles to block the lane. One of the drivers carefully retrieved the unharmed child from the highway and walked them back to the facility while Maui contacted emergency services. Maui expressed deep gratitude that morning traffic was uncharacteristically light, attributing the child's survival to divine timing and the fast actions of the passing motorists.

The Fruitland Park Police Department arrested 27-year-old daycare employee Halee Russo in connection with the incident. Investigators revealed that a security gate enclosing the playground had not been properly latched or secured, allowing the child to simply push the gate open and wander away. Russo reportedly told officers that she had become temporarily distracted by another child in her care and failed to notice the toddler's departure.

The Florida Department of Children and Families, alongside regional daycare licensing investigators, deployed agents to the facility to conduct an immediate, comprehensive review of safety protocols and teacher-to-child ratios. Police leadership publicly commended the quick-thinking drivers whose swift intervention prevented a potential tragedy. Russo remains held as the legal case undergoes further judicial review.

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