Grandmother arrested after 6-year-old found wandering neighborhood

Michelle Leblanc, 48, charged with child neglect & DUI

ST. JOHNS, Fla. – A grandmother was arrested after her 6-year-old grandson was found wandering along a street after she left him home alone, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Michelle Leblanc, 48, was supposed to be babysitting her grandson, deputies said. A neighbor found the boy crying and wandering around the Southern Creek subdivision Sunday.

According to the arrest report, Leblanc eventually came speeding down a road, nearly hitting a patrol cruiser. When she got out of the car, deputies said the grandmother’s eyes were bloodshot, her speech was slurred and she smelled of alcohol.

Leblanc told deputies she had consumed three mimosas, the report said, and that the drinks affected her “more than other people.” Investigators found a tumbler in her cup holder filled with an orange liquid that smelled like alcohol.

During the ride to jail, the grandmother screamed and cursed at a deputy before she began speaking in a “soft, sultry and seductive voice,” the report said. She told a deputy, “I love cops. All you have to do is say yes. Turn around and take me home. I would do anything to make it worth your while.”

Records show Leblanc was freed from jail Monday afternoon after posting bond. She was charged with child neglect, resisting an officer and DUI.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Leblanc has two past convictions for DUI for incidents that occurred in Broward County. The first offense occurred in 1996, and the other happened a year later. 

A spokesperson said the Department of Children and Families is investigating.