Texas teacher arrested in Miami Beach after foster son with autism found running in traffic, police say

A Texas teacher faces child neglect charges after authorities say he left his two foster sons unattended at a hotel, leading to one of the children wandering into a stranger's home.

Francisco Javier Lara, 55, of Austin, Texas, was arrested after police discovered his 12-year-old foster son running in and out of traffic near 33rd Street and Pinetree Drive in Miami Beach, according to arrest records.

Lara, who told investigators he had been drinking, brought his 10- and 12-year-old foster sons to Miami Beach on Tuesday for a vacation scheduled to end Friday.

Court records state that on Wednesday, while the boys were sleeping in their room at the Catalina Hotel, Lara left them alone to consume alcoholic beverages at a nearby restaurant and bar. Upon returning and finding the children still asleep, Lara left again, according to authorities.

Less than two hours later, witnesses reported seeing the 12-year-old boy, wearing only his underwear, running near traffic. Police said the child ran inside a nearby residence that was empty at the time.

"This could have gone much worse had it not been for the witnesses and our officers' response," said Officer Christopher Bess, a spokesperson for the City of Miami Beach Police Department. "The kid ended up in the home of a stranger who was in Canada at the time."

The child provided officers with Lara's cell phone number, which led to the arrest.

During a court hearing Friday, Lara told Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer that he could not afford an attorney.

"Both of my kids have autism, and they are high-needs, and so I made a bad choice last night," Lara said before his public defender intervened.

Lara faces two counts of child neglect.