2 children, 2 men found passed out in a hot car, Sarasota cops say

A passerby saw two men passed out in the front seats of a car parked in Sarasota with two young children in the backseat and called for help.

Sarasota police found the two men, 51-year-old Paul Houle and 22-year-old Paul Houle III, in a Nissan Maxima parked in the 2100 block of Main Street on Aug. 17. Two children, 4 and 2 years old, were in the back seat.

Officers and Sarasota Fire Rescue crews went to the car and and awoke all four people inside — who police said were visibly sweaty and pale — with all the windows rolled up and no air conditioning running. The car was parked directly in the sun, according to police.

Witnesses told officers they were in the car for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Houle and Houle III were under the influence of alcohol when officers contacted them and two bottles of alcohol and an open beer were found in the car, according to police. They told officers they did not know what was going on and said the children were left in their care.

The two men and two children were taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for treatment. Both children recovered and are now in the care of the Department of Children and Families, according to police.

Police said the children are related to the men, who are also related.

Houle, 51, was charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance in connection with a Dextroamphetamine pill police found in his possession.

Houle III, 22, was charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.