{"id":1352,"date":"2026-06-04T17:33:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1352"},"modified":"2026-06-04T17:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:33:23","slug":"opa-locka-parks-director-accused-of-leaving-a-5-year-old-in-city-van-overnight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1352","title":{"rendered":"Opa-locka parks director accused of leaving a 5-year-old in city van overnight"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Opa-locka\u2019s parks director has been relieved of her duties after being charged in connection with an incident in which a 5-year-old child was left unattended inside a city vehicle for more than eight hours overnight.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1350\">House committee asks DOJ to look into former Miami Beach mayor in Epstein case<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The case dates to March 11, when Parks Director Zonya Ray was transporting juveniles to football practice in a city van. According to arrest documents, Ray was unaware that the child had entered and remained inside the vehicle after the trip concluded.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The following day, Ray provided a statement to the Opa-locka Police Department, acknowledging that she should have checked the vehicle before leaving for the night.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ray has been charged with leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Court records reviewed by CBS News Miami show Ray is not currently facing a misdemeanor charge. However, Florida law states that leaving a child younger than 6 years old unattended in a motor vehicle for more than 15 minutes is a second-degree misdemeanor.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The city manager issued a statement saying the city is aware of the incident, takes the matter seriously and confirmed that Ray had been relieved of her duties.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1349\">Miami native, Florida\u2019s top education official tapped to lead Polk State College<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ray was arrested on April 30, nearly two months after the incident occurred. CBS News Miami first began investigating the incident in April after receiving a tip, but Opa-locka police had initially declined to release information, citing an active investigation.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In an effort to reach Ray for comments, CBS News Miami visited two addresses linked to her and placed a phone call, but those efforts were unanswered.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The news outlet also reached out to the Miami-Dade State Attorney\u2019s Office seeking information about the investigation\u2019s timeline and whether additional or upgraded charges are being considered. As of Wednesday evening, the office had not responded. Ray was set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1348\">Third teen accused of rape of 12-year-old girl is behind bars \u2014 at least for now<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p><i>This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opa-locka Parks Director Zonya Ray was fired and charged after a 5-year-old was found alone in a city van overnight; authorities continue to investigate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami-gardens-opa-locka"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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