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A rising star in the Texas healthcare industry, recently honored on a national “40 Under 40” list, has been arrested with her husband after they left their six-month-old baby on a Florida beach, officials said.
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to Miramar Beach around noon Oct. 10, after beachgoers found a baby alone beneath a tent near 4000 Sandestin Boulevard.
Witnesses told officers the baby had been alone for nearly an hour while the parents walked down the shoreline with their three other kids. Other beachgoers contacted local police.
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According to a release shared on the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, when deputies arrived, South Walton Fire District personnel assessed the baby and found she was not in distress.
Shortly afterward, Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, and Brian Wilks, 40, of Houston, Texas returned to the scene.
The couple reportedly admitted to placing their child under the tent for a nap before leaving. The Facebook press release said they claimed they had lost track of time.
Security footage reviewed by investigators also confirmed the pair had been gone for nearly an hour and had left their cell phones behind with the baby.
Both were arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm, a third-degree felony under Florida law.
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They were booked into the Walton County Jail and released the following day on a $1,000 bond each.
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) took custody of the couple’s four children until relatives from Texas could arrive to collect them.
Sommers Wilks serves as the Regional President for Southeast Texas at US Heart and Vascular, a healthcare group that supports cardiovascular practices in Texas, Alabama, and Arizona.
Earlier this year, she was featured in Cardiovascular Business magazine’s “Forty Under 40” list, which recognized her as an innovative and influential leader in cardiology administration.
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In their Facebook statement, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office reiterated its commitment to child safety and expressed gratitude to those who intervened on the beach.
“We’re thankful for the quick-thinking beachgoer who raised the alarm and for those who stepped in to care for the child with the same kindness and concern they would show their own,” said Sheriff Michael Adkinson in the post.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Walton County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.