JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (First Coast News) — Nearly a month after 21-month-old Lonzie Barton went missing, his mother, Lonna Lauramore Barton, 25, faced a judge Wednesday afternoon.
Her arrest on two counts was announced late Tuesday night by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Lauramore, 25, is charged with one count of child neglect and one count of giving false information to law enforcement after lying to investigators and allowing "unsecured" drugs in the presence of her children, Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney said.
On Wednesday, a judge read the charges and set bond at $25,003 for each count.
Part of the charges stem from the fact that "Lonna, honestly, is a liar," said Chief Hackney, who told reporters that Lauramore had initially lied to investigators about knowing William "Ruben" Ebron, 32, the night of Lonzie's disappearance.
"There's been a pattern of deception and lies," the chief added.
The charges are not directly related to the toddler's disappearance, according to JSO.
On July 23, the day before Lonzie was reported missing, Lauramore was told about a bruise on the back of his head and confronted Ebron about it, said Hackney. "Lonzie had yellow fluid coming from his ears, he was lethargic and vomiting," he added.
Nonetheless, Hackney said, she left Lonzie and his 5-year-old sister in the care, custody and control of Ebron and left to go to work at Wacko's, an adult entertainment venue.
Ebron, who kept drugs at the apartment Lauramore shared with her children, would routinely take Lauramore with him on drug deals, Chief Hackney told reporters. "She found it in the best interest of Lonzie to have him in the car" too, he said.
