A Florida daycare worker is facing charges after a young boy in her care slipped past a locked gate, crawled underneath it, and ran straight into oncoming highway traffic — then allegedly lied to investigators about how it happened.
Halee Russo, 27, has been charged with child neglect without great bodily harm following the incident in Fruitland Park.
Police say concerned drivers began calling 911 shortly after 11 a.m. Friday after spotting the boy darting across U.S. Highway 27 near County Road 466A, a stretch where the speed limit hits 50 mph. Several motorists pulled over, helped the child to safety, and brought him back to the daycare.
When questioned, Russo initially claimed she chased after the boy within seconds of him slipping through the gate and caught up to him almost immediately. But witness accounts told a different story — one that showed the child had been unaccounted for far longer than she admitted.
Confronted with the inconsistency, Russo reportedly grew emotional and told officers she was “just doing what her boss told her.” She said her boss had instructed her to lie about the timeline so the daycare wouldn’t risk being shut down.
According to the report, Russo had last seen the child near a playground slide before turning her attention to another upset child. She estimated she lost track of him for about two minutes. The gate, she said, had been locked — meaning the boy likely crawled beneath it to get out.
Russo has worked at the daycare since November 2024. The facility’s name has not been released.
She was booked into the Lake County Jail and has since posted a $2,500 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for July 6.
