NORTH PORT — Police arrested a 21-year-old North Port woman, accusing her of leaving her infant with a 17-year-old babysitter she contacted through social media and not returning for the child.
Police say this is the second time she has abandoned a child in this way.
Elizabeth Jarrie, of the 1000 block of Ohana Way, North Port, is charged with one count of felony child neglect for unlawful abandonment of a child, according to a report released Thursday by the North Port Police Department.
The incident unfolded April 18-20, the report states.
A woman and her daughter called police April 19, saying Jarrie, using the name was Lizzie Stem, had contacted them through Facebook.
On April 18, Jarrie asked the daughter to babysit her infant child who was “sick” overnight.
The teen was reluctant, saying she had no supplies for an infant, but agreed that Jarrie could drop off the child.
Jarrie arrived to drop off the baby an hour late and did not go inside the home, “which is unusual” since the mother and the babysitter “did not know each other prior to the Facebook interaction,” the report states.
Jarrie called once to check on the child at about 7 a.m. the following morning. The teen said the child was coughing.
At 9 a.m., Jarrie messaged the teen, asking the teen to watch the infant for another 24 hours. She said her fiance had been arrested for domestic battery on her and she was dealing with the situation in St. Petersburg.
Police reported the arrest occurred in Sarasota and that the finace was in the Sarasota County Jail, not St. Petersburg.
At noon, the babysitter messaged Jarrie, saying she couldn’t watch the child. Jarrie said she was still in St. Petersburg and could not come and get the baby.
“It was at this point “ that the babysitter “reiterated that she is a 17-year-old juvenile and not set up to watch an infant long term,” the report states.
The babysitter and her mother told Jarrie they had decided to call North Port Police.
Jarrie told them she would have her brother pick up the baby, the report states.
When officers arrived at the home, they met a man who was there to pick up the infant, but was not Jarrie’s brother, the report states. Officers were able to contact another person to take the child. The relationship between the person and the baby was redacted in the report.
The following day, April 20, the mother of the babysitter called police, saying she learned on Facebook that Jarrie had been involved in a similar situation in April 2023 with a family in Port Charlotte.
The officer called that family and learned Jarrie had dropped off the child, but never returned. The family was obtained power of attorney for the child and was working to get “full custody” of the child from Jarrie, the officer reported.
Officers found and arrested Jarrie, taking her to the Sarasota County Jail.
Jarrie’s bond is set at $10,000 as of Thursday. She has an arraignment set for June 7.
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