Scott Gardner entered no-contest pleas after investigators said he left his 18-month-old son unattended while visiting a bar and barbershop.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida father was sentenced to 42 years in prison Thursday after pleading no contest to charges stemming from the death of his 18-month-old son, who authorities said was left inside a hot pickup truck for more than three hours.
Scott Allen Gardner, 34, entered pleas to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect in the June 6, 2025, death of his son, Sebastian Gardner. The sentence was imposed July 23 as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge in exchange for the pleas, according to court reporting from the hearing.
Investigators said Gardner left Sebastian strapped into a car seat while he got a haircut and then spent time drinking at Hanky Panky’s Lounge in the Ormond-by-the-Sea area. The truck was not running, and the child had no air conditioning. Authorities said a small battery-powered fan had been placed near him, but it was not enough to prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from becoming deadly.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said medical personnel estimated that Sebastian’s body temperature reached 111 degrees. Gardner called 911 at about 2:45 p.m., after returning to his mother’s home. Sebastian was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Medical personnel believed the child had been dead for at least an hour before reaching the hospital.
An Ormond Beach police officer who responded tried to perform lifesaving measures. First responders had difficulty opening the child’s mouth to establish an airway because his body had already begun to stiffen, according to reporting based on the probable cause affidavit. The same officer later helped arrest Gardner at his mother’s home on June 19, 2025.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Ormond Beach Police Department. Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Gardner gave detectives several conflicting or false versions of what happened. Officials reviewed his movements before determining that Sebastian had been alone in the vehicle for more than three hours.
Authorities said Gardner first visited Classic Cuts for a haircut and then went to the nearby lounge. Reports citing the probable cause affidavit said he drank beer and liquor while the toddler remained in the truck. At one point, Gardner briefly walked outside to look at another person’s vehicle before returning to the bar, investigators said.
Gardner was initially arrested on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm. The case later included a first-degree murder charge. Under the agreement accepted Thursday, he pleaded no contest to the lesser murder count and the two child-abuse and neglect charges. A no-contest plea is not a formal admission of guilt but allows a court to impose a conviction and sentence.
Sebastian’s mother, Lorena Dague, spoke during the sentencing hearing and described her son as a happy child with bright blue eyes and a laugh that filled a room. She told Gardner that the child’s death had shattered their family and left her grieving milestones Sebastian would never reach.
Dague also said she forgave Gardner for the sake of herself and her surviving children, while making clear that she continued to carry anger over the loss. Her statement focused on Sebastian’s personality and the short time she had with him rather than the details of his death.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said the conclusion of the criminal case was not a reason for celebration. He said Sebastian was defenseless and had died while in his father’s care. Larizza described the death as the result of Gardner choosing personal activities over protecting his child.
Gardner had remained in custody without bond since his arrest. The 42-year sentence resolves the criminal prosecution, although the plea agreement and sentencing cannot undo the loss described by Sebastian’s family during the hearing.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.