A Texas healthcare government and her husband averted jail time after putting a cope with Florida prosecutors in a toddler neglect case stemming from allegations that they left their 6-month-old child unattended on a seashore whereas they went for a stroll.
Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, a regional president at US Coronary heart and Vascular in Houston, and her husband, Brian David Wilks, 40, entered deferred prosecution agreements that can permit them to keep away from legal prosecution in the event that they adjust to a sequence of situations over the following 12 months.
Beneath the agreements signed final month the couple should every pay $1,000 in fines and courtroom prices, full 25 hours of neighborhood service, attend a parenting class, keep out of authorized hassle and stay barred from Walton County within the Florida Panhandle.
Prosecutors agreed to drop the fees in the event that they fulfill the phrases of the offers inside a 12-month interval — although the agreements permit for termination after six months if all situations are happy and the events to the deal don’t violate the legislation inside that time-frame.
The agreements additionally require them to waive their proper to a speedy trial.
Information of the agreements was first reported by DailyMail.com.
The couple was arrested on Oct. 10 of final 12 months after deputies responded to experiences of an unattended toddler on Miramar Seaside.
In response to the Walton County Sheriff’s Workplace, witnesses instructed authorities the infant had been left alone for almost an hour whereas the mother and father walked away with their three different youngsters.
Good Samaritans cared for the toddler till deputies arrived, authorities mentioned.
The kid was evaluated by South Walton Hearth District personnel and was discovered to have regular very important indicators and was not in misery, based on the sheriff’s workplace.
Deputies mentioned the mother and father returned to the scene and instructed investigators they’d put the toddler down for a nap and misplaced monitor of time.
The mother and father instructed investigators that they didn’t assume it could be an issue because the child normally napped across the time they’re alleged to have walked off, based on the sheriff’s workplace.
Safety footage reviewed by investigators allegedly confirmed the household away from the kid for almost an hour and with no cellular phone, based on authorities.
The Florida Division of Youngsters and Households responded to the scene following the incident and took custody of the kids pending the arrival of kin from Texas, based on the sheriff’s workplace.
Each mother and father had been charged with youngster neglect with out inflicting nice bodily hurt, a felony offense below Florida legislation.
The case drew widespread consideration due to Sara Wilks’ function within the healthcare business.
In April 2025, Cardiovascular Enterprise named her to its “Forty Beneath 40 Class of 2025,” figuring out her as regional president of US Coronary heart and Vascular in Houston.
The publication mentioned she helped create “a more cost effective and streamlined expertise for sufferers” and was acknowledged for management inside the cardiovascular care business.
The Submit has sought remark from Sara and Brian Wilks.
