A 42-year-old man and his 39-year-old wife were found passed out in their Southwest Ocala home after their 6-year-old son called 911 from a cell phone, according to Marion County sheriff's officials. The parents, Michael Dean Patrick and his wife, Nicole, were arrested on Friday by sheriff's deputies and charged with child neglect, according to officials.
Sgt. David Hopkins was the first to arrive on scene and said he noticed the juvenile was in front of the home. The boy called the Sheriff's Office and told a dispatcher that his father was asleep on the floor near the bed and his mother was sleeping on the kitchen floor, authorities said. The boy told the dispatcher he could not wake up his parents. Entering the residence, Hopkins said he saw the man, later identified as Patrick, in the master bedroom lying on the bed.
Marion County Fire Rescue personnel were summoned. Officials were able to wake up Patrick, who they say had slurred speech and difficulty standing. Patrick told officials he takes medications and showed them the prescription bottles. Officials say the man told them he drank one alcoholic beverage. Covered with a blanket and lying on the kitchen floor in a puddle of milk was Patrick's wife, Nicole, authorities said. The little boy said he poured milk on his mother in an attempt to wake her up.
Disoriented and her speech slurred, the woman told officials she also took medications, but was unable to provide any proof, deputies said. Officials say she had a hard time staying awake, and when she did, she kept asking her husband why she was on the kitchen floor, how long had been she passed out, and where was her medication. The Department of Children and Families was notified and the child was handed over to a family member, authorities said. The Patricks were then arrested and charged with child neglect. Both were released from the Marion County Jail early Saturday morning on $2,000 bond each.
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