Day-care staffer held in boy’s death has first court hearing

A judge on Friday kept the bond of the day-care worker arrested in the death of a 3-year-old boy left in a van all day at $30,000.

Deborah St. Charles faces an aggravated manslaughter of a child charge in the death of Myles Hill.

St. Charles appeared to fight back tears during the short hearing, and only spoke when the judge addressed her.

A public defender argued there wasn’t enough evidence for the charge she faces and asked that her bond be lowered.

“[Police detectives] looked at the consequences and they assumed certain things about her,” Arjun Nair said.

St. Charles has strong ties to the community and could not afford to pay the bond, the attorney said.

Prosecutors asked that the judge keep the bond at $30,000 and bar her from working at daycare facilities if she were to bond out.

The judge granted both requests. St. Charles picked up Myles and five other children Monday and took him to the Little Miracles Academy on West Colonial Drive, according to Orlando police.

When she got there, five of the children got out, but not Myles. After failing to do a head count, she drove to the day care’s other location on Plymouth Road and got out without checking the vehicle, police said.

Myles was left in the van where police say temperatures could have reached more than 140 degrees.

He was found dead Monday night after family members called to ask why he did not come home.

St. Charles was arrested Thursday and the Department of Children and Families revoked the operating license for both facilities.