Overview
- Jeremy Rouse, 35, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of child abuse and making false statements, according to an arrest report.
- A nonverbal child who appeared to have autism was found naked on an I-4 entrance ramp around 11 p.m. on Oct. 16 and was pulled to safety by two bystanders as police arrived.
- The arrest report says Rouse admitted continuing his deliveries after realizing the child was missing to avoid harming his Uber Eats rating.
- Investigators report Rouse refused to meet officers at a Walgreens and later met them at a Wawa, and he told police he sent a female passenger to retrieve the child because he feared arrest.
- Florida’s Department of Children and Families is investigating, the child’s age has not been released, and any response from Uber Eats has not been confirmed.