{"id":1346,"date":"2026-06-05T04:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T04:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1346"},"modified":"2026-06-05T04:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T04:06:01","slug":"opa-locka-parks-director-accused-of-leaving-child-in-car-8-hours-could-face-jail-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1346","title":{"rendered":"Opa-locka Parks director accused of leaving child in car 8+ hours could face jail time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The director of parks and recreation for the City of Opa-locka who was criminally cited after authorities said she left a 5-year-old child unattended inside a vehicle overnight for more than eight hours, could face jail time, state attorneys announced Thursday.<\/p>\n

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According to court records, Parks and Recreation Director Zonya Ray was cited in connection with the incident, which occurred on March 11. The citation is a second-degree misdemeanor.<\/p>\n

Investigators said the child was discovered around 6 a.m. in the parking lot of an Opa-locka government building on 12950 Northwest 42nd Avenue.<\/p>\n

Records indicate Ray had been transporting juveniles to a football practice and was unaware that the child had entered her vehicle.<\/p>\n

Ray acknowledged she failed to inspect the vehicle before leaving for the night, and the child remained inside the vehicle until the following morning, when Ray realized the child was missing and returned to the parking lot, records showed.<\/p>\n

Police cited Ray for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle with the engine turned off, stating that her actions demonstrated disregard for the child’s safety.<\/p>\n

Court records do not specify the relationship between Ray and the child, nor do they indicate whether the child suffered any injuries as a result of the incident.<\/p>\n

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On Thursday, Ray appeared in court for her arraignment with her attorney Michelle Borchew and entered a not guilty plea.<\/p>\n

“Ms. Zonya Ray has been a public servant with the City of Opa Locka for over 37 years as Park Director. For those 37 years she has had an exemplary record, touched the lives of numerous people, and built love and trust among the community,” Borchew said in a statement to NBC6. “Ms. Ray looks forward to getting her life back on track, and to return to serving her community, when this matter is behind her.”<\/p>\n

The city’s website still lists Ray as the director of parks and recreation.<\/p>\n

Opa-locka City Manager Sha’mecca Lawson released a statement to NBC6 on Tuesday about the matter.<\/p>\n

“As this matter involves personnel-related issues and potential legal considerations, the City is limited in what it can publicly disclose at this time,” the statement read. “The City takes matters involving the safety and welfare of minors seriously and is reviewing the circumstances consistent with applicable policies and procedures.<\/p>\n

Because this matter may involve confidential personnel information and a minor, the City cannot comment on specific allegations, discuss employment-related details, or identify any juvenile involved.”<\/p>\n

Read more Caregiver stole and pawned jewelry from elderly patients, Miami-Dade sheriff says<\/a><\/p>\n

Ray, via phone call, declined to comment about the allegations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The director of parks and recreation for the City of Opa-locka who was criminally cited after authorities said she left a 5-year-old child unattended inside a\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opa-locka"],"yoast_head":"\nOpa-locka Parks director accused of leaving child in car 8+ hours could face jail time - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1346\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opa-locka Parks director accused of leaving child in car 8+ hours could face jail time - 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