Mother faces child neglect charges after Carnival Bahamas cruise
Authorities detained Nathalie Belizaire when Carnival Conquest returned to PortMiami following a three-night sailing.
Police have accused Nathalie Belizaire of leaving her four young children alone in their North Miami Beach apartment while she took a cruise to the Bahamas.
According to police, officers found the children in the home on Sept. 26. They included a 2-month-old baby and a 2-year-old. Belizaire faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.
Carnival Conquest had left PortMiami on Sept. 25 for a three-night Bahamas itinerary. U.S. Customs and Border Protection took Belizaire into custody as she disembarked when the ship returned to Miami.
Carnival Cruise Line said federal officers escorted a passenger from the vessel upon arrival. The company characterized the case as a law-enforcement issue that did not involve operation of the ship.
Belizaire entered a written not-guilty plea through her public defender in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Her attorney said she denies the accusations. A judge ordered her to have no contact with the children while the case proceeds.