A Volusia County father was sentenced Thursday to 42 years in prison for the death of his 18-month-old son, who he left inside a hot car for three hours while he got a haircut and drank at a bar, prosecutors say.
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Scott Allen Gardner, 34, of Ormond Beach, pleaded no contest earlier that day to charges of second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse just before the sentencing, prosecutors announced in a news release. Gardner had previously been indicted on a charge of first-degree murder.
Gardner left his son, Sebastian, inside his turned-off truck on June 6, 2025, while he got a haircut and then went to grab a drink at the Hanky Panky’s Lounge in Ormond Beach. The truck’s windows were down and a small fan was left inside facing the child, police said.
He eventually left the bar hours after he left his son in the car and drove to his mother’s nearby home, calling 911 at some point on the way. When police arrived, an officer performed CPR on Sebastian, and the toddler was then taken to a hospital where he was declared dead, police said.
Hospital staff estimated the toddler’s body temperature while in the car reached up to 111 degrees and that he had been dead for at least an hour before he arrived at the hospital.
The child’s death was investigated by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and outraged Sheriff Mike Chitwood, who lambasted Gardner at a news conference shortly after his arrest.
“This father is a human piece of garbage and he’s a lying sack of s**t,” Chitwood said. “My hope for him is every night when he closes his eyes and every morning when he opens his eyes, his son, Sebastian, sits there and says, ‘Dad, why did you do this to me?’”
The sheriff’s office and prosecutors both said Gardner repeatedly lied to detectives about what happened that day, including that Sebastian’s eyes had opened when he gave him CPR, which he said led him to believe his son was okay.
Chitwood, at last year’s news conference, said he didn’t believe that claim given that detectives thought Sebastian was probably already dead when Gardner returned to his truck. One detective, based on information from hospital staff, said the boy likely died while Gardner was at the bar, one to two hours before the 911 call was made.
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Another detective at the conference said Gardner ultimately confessed to his actions.
Chitwood also said Gardner returned to the Hanky Panky’s Lounge with his mother as the investigation into his son’s death was ongoing.
“Father of the Year. Baby’s dead, investigation is going on. What does he do? He picks up his mother, and they go back to Hanky Panky for a few more cocktails, and they’re there until almost midnight,” Chitwood said.
A bartender at Hanky Panky’s Lounge told police Gardner had brought the toddler into the bar on previous occasions, but not on June 6. Chitwood said at one point that day, a bartender’s car was hit by another car, and Gardner went outside to check on it, but he did not check on Sebastian in his car.
Sebastian’s mother lived in a different county. While Gardner didn’t officially have custody of him, he was the one taking care of him, investigators said.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza, the area’s top prosecutor, said Thursday that Gardner’s sentencing was no cause for celebration, as it could not undo Sebastian’s suffering and death.
“The father chose to drink and get a haircut instead of loving and protecting his son,” Larizza said in a news release. “A totally vulnerable and defenseless child died because of the selfish vanity of his dad.”
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