A mother was arrested, and is facing a charge of child neglect, after she allegedly left her seven-year-old child in a car for hours while she got drunk at a bar, said the United States police.

Veronica Elliott, 35, from the city of DeLand in Florida, eventually returned to her daughter, covered in dirt and without shoes, in an incident that took place in late October, said the DeLand police department.

The police went to The Perfect Spot bar at about 3am on Oct 29, after they were alerted that a child had walked up to the bar looking for her mother.

“During the investigation, it was learnt the child was left in an unlocked car, which was turned off, in a dark parking lot with no lights,” the police said in a statement.

It was not known what time the mother arrived in the area, or how long her daughter had been on her own.

A police officer stayed with the girl, while others looked for Elliott, who could not be found.

At around 6.30am, Elliott finally turned up, “covered in dirt, swaying with movements and... missing her shoes”, said the police.

She told the officers she had meant to be away for only 10 minutes.

“Elliott’s slurred speech patterns and body movements were consistent with (those of) an individual under the influence (of alcohol or drugs),” the police said.

Elliott claimed she had gone to the bar to meet a man, and woke up hours later in a car at the opposite end of the carpark.

The Department of Children and Families has taken custody of the child, while Elliot was arrested by the police for suspected child neglect.

She faces up to five years in prison and a US$5,000 (S$6,800) fine, if convicted.

She was released after posting a US$2,500 bail.