LARRY BROUGHMAN - 3 Months - Jacksonville FL

A Jacksonville father was arrested Saturday night for child abuse after police said they found his 3-month-old baby on the side of a Southside street.A neighbor called police to the 3200 block of Dorothea Road, where they found the child inside a stroller in a ditch. The baby, named Larry, was alone but unharmed.A little later, police said they arrested 25-year-old Stephen Broughman on suspicion of leaving the baby alone.A close family friend told a local reporter that the child's mother woke up about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and couldn't find the baby or the baby's father.
"The baby, the stroller, her car keys and the father of the child was gone," said family friend Liz Kearton. "(The mother) was very upset. She asked me if I had heard from him (Broughman), but I said no I had not. She said she was up all night with the baby, she woke up and when she woke up, there was no note, there was no message, he would not answer the cell phone and he was gone."Friends said the baby's mother is endlessly devoted to her child, but got the scare of her life."She stays home with the baby all day," Keaton said. "She does everything with that child."The young baby was returned safely to his mother."Baby Larry, I love him. I love that baby," Keaton said. "She does everything for that kid. She would never harm him, she never leaves him by himself, she never goes outside without taking the kid with her."Broughman was being held at the Duval County jail on child abuse charges with a $20,000 bond.

The father of a 3-month-old baby appeared in court Sunday on child abuse charges after police said he left the baby in a ditch.



The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Stephen Broughman took his son Larry for a walk in his stroller Saturday and left the child on the side of the road in a ditch. A neighbor found the child and called police.The child's mother, Ashley Fleming, said she does not understand why Broughman would leave the baby."I haven't been able to speak with him yet. The detectives wouldn't tell me anything. My main concern was my child. I wanted him to get to the hospital. I wanted him checked out," Fleming said. "It's unacceptable. He's 3-months-old. I wouldn't let him out of my sight."Fleming said Broughman has a history of drug abuse and the baby is back in her care and doing fine.The judge told Broughman he was to have no contact with his son while the case was pending. He is being held on a $20,000 bond.The Department of Children and Families is investigating.