Mother of three arrested for child abuse after allegedly leaving children unattended while selling narcotics

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jessica Jean Flones, 38, was arrested last night after an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office investigation of reported illegal narcotics sales from her residence led to child abuse charges.

Deputies were investigating reports of drug sales from an apartment in Majestic Oaks and conducted surveillance on Flones. The deputies reported that she has three biological children who live with her and that no other adults live in the apartment.

During the surveillance, Flones was reportedly observed leaving the apartment repeatedly, with her children unattended. Deputies reported seeing her “shooing” her children away as they attempted to get her attention. Deputies also reported seeing her children walking unsupervised through the apartment complex, “a documented high-crime, high-drug area.”

When deputies made contact with Flones away from the apartment, they also checked on the children while waiting for a search warrant for the apartment. The deputies reported that a handgun could be seen in plain view on a table in the kitchen area of the apartment, along with substances that appeared to be illegal narcotics and equipment for weighing and packaging the narcotics.

Flones has been charged with three counts of child abuse and is being held on $750,000 bond.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.