Photos for Headline Surfer / Scott Allen Gardner, 33, is arrested on June 19, 2025, in Ormond Beach, Florida, on charges of aggravated manslaughter in the death of his toddler son, left in a hot vehicle for three hours while he got a haircut and drank in a bar back on June 6.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- VSO deputies and the Ormond Beach Police arrested Scott Allen Gardner, 33, on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
Gardner is responsible for the death of his 18-month-old son Sebastian, who was left helpless in a hot truck for more than 3 hours on the afternoon of Friday, June 6, while Gardner got a haircut and then went drinking inside Hanky Panky's Lounge, according to an arrest affidavit.
A VSO spokesman said in a press release that Gardner gave multiple false accounts of what occurred that day during the investigation.
"It was estimated by medical personnel that Sebastian's body temperature reached 111 degrees during this tragedy," VSO spokesman Andrew Gant said in the release on Thursday. "The same OBPD officer who tried to revive Sebastian placed Gardner in handcuffs today as he was taken into custody at his mother's home in Ormond Beach."
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VSO video / Scott Allen Gardner, 33, is arrested on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm for allegedly leaving his 18-month-old son un a hot vehicle while he got a haircut and then drank in a bar.
About the Byline Writer:
Henry Frederick is an award-winning journalist who launched Headline Surfer in 2008. The site serves the greater Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Orlando areas along the I-4 corridor and beyond via HeadlineSurfer.com in Lake Mary, Florida. Frederick earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in Orlando in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade, and before that, the same beat with The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. He's also worked as a city editor and city hall reporter for two dailies. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz & the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. Assisting Henry Frederick with Headline Surfer is Sera King, who writes about the weather and feature stories, takes photos, shoots video, and occasionally draws editorial cartoons. • Bio: https://henryfrederick.com/.
