- December 4, 2025
A Palm Coast couple was arrested the evening of Friday, July 18, after Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered they had left their infant in their car while drinking at a local bar.
According to a press release, deputies received a tip regarding the child shortly after 10 p.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found the infant sleeping in a car seat that was improperly secured in the back seat. The vehicle had been left unlocked, with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.
While deputies were assessing the infant, 28-year-old Clarisse Finnegan approached the vehicle, telling deputies she was the owner and that her husband, 60-year-old Norman Finnegan Jr., was inside the bar.
Clarisse Finnegan told deputies that she had gone inside the bar to use the restroom and to get money from her husband for necessities to care for the infant, according to the press release. She added that she later went back inside, after checking on her child, to see if he was ready to leave. When she came back outside, she was detained for questioning by deputies.
The FCSO noted, however, that the "couple gave conflicting statements about Clarisse’s time inside the bar, and witnesses confirmed that both Norman and Clarisse were at the bar drinking."
The couple were both arrested for felony child neglect without great bodily harm. Norman Finnegan was later released on a $2,500 bond; Clarisse Finnegan was released on her own recognizance.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is also investigating this incident.
