A mother who was accused of leaving her 6-year-old daughter alone inside a burning west Miami-Dade apartment will avoid jail time after accepting a plea deal Thursday.
Erica Rosello, 33, was given 30 months of probation as part of the plea deal for a charge of child neglect with no great bodily harm. She also won't be allowed to drink alcohol or have unsupervised contact with her daughter.
Rosello was arrested in February after the fire broke out at the Versailles Gardens Condominiums at 9400 West Flagler Street.
According to the arrest report, a witness said he saw Rosello in the hallway of the apartment complex then saw smoke coming out of her apartment door. He said he asked Rosello if something was on fire and she replied, "No, it's not a fire," the report said.
She told the witness only her daughter was inside the apartment, and the witness pulled the fire alarm and called 911, the report said. The witness tried to get into the apartment but was unsuccessful, and fire rescue workers arrived a short time later and were able to get to the girl through a bedroom window, the report said.
Paramedics rushed her to the hospital where she was treated for smoke inhalation. The report said Rosello left the scene but called her mother, who convinced her to go to the hospital and cooperate in the investigation.
The girl has been under the care of her grandmother. If Rosello violates the terms of her probation she could go to prison for five years.
