Metro Nashville Police were called to a Nashville Longhorn Steakhouse on Thursday, after staff say they observed an intoxicated woman leave her 4-year-old daughter in a van that was turned off with the windows rolled up, and doors shut, for approximately ten minutes.
When officers arrived, medics were already on scene attempting to calm Alisha Vega, 31, the mother of the child. A police reports states Vega was ‘noticeably intoxicated’ and attempting to fight with fire department personnel and Longhorn staff.
The manager at Longhorn says she and her staff noticed Ms. Vega leave her children in the unattended van and called police. Ms. Vega admitted to drinking approximately a half-pint of rum on top of her medications, though she could name her medications due to her level of intoxication, according to a police affidavit.
Ms. Vega claims that she didn’t drive the van there, but rather her friend had driven the van to Longhorn and left it there, with her daughter inside. She was arrested and charged with public intoxication and child neglect. Her daughter is currently in the custody of child protective services, while Alisha Vega remains jailed on a $2,500 bond.
