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Deputies: Plant City Man Abandoned 3 Children On Dark Highway On Christmas Eve

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
James Mack Williams was arrested in Plant City for allegedly leaving three children he was babysitting at an accident scene Christmas Eve.

A babysitter faces desertion charges after deputies say he abandoned three children near a busy Plant City road following a Christmas night crash.

The Tampa Bay Times reports 54-year-old James Mack Williams was watching the children for their parents for a short time on Monday night. Around 9:30 p.m., Williams was involved in a traffic crash. Details of the accident were not immediately available.

Deputies said Williams left the children alone. An arrest affidavit says Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies found the children a short distance from the car on a "dark" and busy road. They were "distraught and in a state of panic."

Investigators did not say how old the children are.

Williams was found about a mile from the scene. He was arrested and is being held on $6,000 bond.

A lawyer wasn't listed on jail records.

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