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Baby's Chilly Ordeal Began At Chili's

Photo courtesy of HCSO

Madermis Castro-Gonzales / Lesvan Cabellaro

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Mike Wells / The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2007

TAMPA - With a half-naked baby girl tucked under his arm, a "heavily intoxicated" man ran down a street right into the custody of a Hillsborough County deputy early today, an arrest report said.

The infant was shivering from the chilly air, and she had bruises on her back, the deputy noted.

Her ordeal began nine hours earlier on Thursday afternoon at a Chili's restaurant on West Hillsborough Avenue, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

Lesvan Cabellaro, 34, and Madermis Castro-Gonzales, 21, brought the baby to the restaurant at 5 p.m. Their bill came to $46, Carter said.

The woman handed their server two credit cards as payment – both of which were declined – and Chili's staff called the sheriff's office, Carter said.

While staff waited for a deputy, the man pulled a dine-and-dash, Carter said. He got up from the table and took the baby with him as he left the restaurant.

Castro-Gonzalez, of 6021 Paris St., Tampa, was arrested on two counts of making counterfeit payments and one count of forgery. She remains in Orient Road Jail on $4,500 bail.

At 2 a.m. Friday, Deputy Ann Vaccaro spotted Cabellaro, of Homestead, running south on Timberlane Drive carrying the child. It was 59 degrees outside, and the baby was wearing only a sweater and a diaper, Carter said.

Cabellaro was arrested on one count of child abuse and remains in jail on $2,000 bail. Carter said the deputy's report did not indicate his relationship to the child, who was placed with the sheriff's Child Protective Investigations division.

Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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