Scott Gardner entered no-contest pleas after authorities said his 18-month-old son was left unattended for more than three hours.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Florida father was sentenced to 42 years in prison Thursday after entering no-contest pleas in the death of his 18-month-old son, who authorities said was left inside a hot truck while his father got a haircut and drank at a bar.
Scott Gardner entered the pleas July 23 to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm, according to Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. Circuit Judge Kathryn Weston imposed the sentence in Volusia County. The case arose from the June 6, 2025, death of Gardner’s son, Sebastian.
Authorities said Gardner left Sebastian strapped inside the parked truck for more than three hours in the Ormond Beach area. The child had no air conditioning while Gardner visited a barbershop and Hanky Panky’s Lounge, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and prosecutors. Investigators said a small battery-powered fan was near the child but did not protect him from the heat.
Gardner did not call 911 until he returned to his mother’s home, authorities said. Sebastian was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Medical personnel estimated that his body temperature had reached 111 degrees and believed he had been dead for at least an hour before arriving at the hospital, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office and Ormond Beach Police Department conducted a joint investigation. The sheriff’s office announced Gardner’s arrest on June 19, 2025, nearly two weeks after the child’s death. Investigators said Gardner gave several false or conflicting accounts of what happened before evidence was used to establish his movements that day.
Gardner was initially arrested on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm. Local court coverage reported that he later faced a first-degree murder charge, which was reduced to second-degree murder under the plea agreement. A no-contest plea allows a court to enter a conviction without the defendant formally admitting the allegations.
At Thursday’s hearing, Sebastian’s mother, Lorena Dague, described her son as a happy child with bright blue eyes and a laugh that could fill a room. She spoke about the birthdays, holidays and other milestones he would never experience. She also said she forgave Gardner for the sake of her own healing and her surviving children, according to local coverage of the hearing.
Weston became emotional while discussing the child’s death, according to courtroom reporting. She said Gardner was fortunate to receive the negotiated sentence and suggested that a life sentence would otherwise have been appropriate. Prosecutors said the agreement avoided a longer trial while still securing a lengthy prison term.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said the resolution of the case was not a cause for celebration. He said Sebastian was a defenseless child who died while under his father’s care and described Gardner’s decision to pursue personal activities instead of protecting his son as selfish.
Assistant State Attorney Andrew Urbanak prosecuted the case. The 42-year sentence concludes the criminal prosecution stemming from Sebastian’s death, although his family told the court that the effects of his loss will continue long after the legal proceedings have ended.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.