'Gambling Granny' sentenced to 14 months of house arrest

She left 2 grandkids in car while she played the slots

By Tonya Alanez

South Florida Sun Sentinel

1:14 PM EDT, July 20, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE

A Broward County judge this morning sentenced a grandmother to 14 months of house arrest for leaving her two grandchildren unattended in a car while she gambled at a Hallandale Beach casino, a prosecutor said.

Jeanne Shahan, 54, of North Miami, pleaded guilty to felony child abuse, misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and misdemeanor leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, said Assistant State Attorney Mary Ann Braun.

On Aug. 19, 2008, Shahan left her grandchildren -- a 2-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy -- unattended in a vehicle for more than an hour while she played the slots at Mardi Gras Gaming, 831 N. Federal Highway, police said.

The car's air-conditioning was off, but the windows were down.

"She's a very good lady who just used poor judgment, and she's very sorry about it," Shahan's defense attorney, Chris Narducci, said today.

Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levenson also ordered three years probation upon completion of house arrest, Braun said.

Levenson also prohibited Shahan from entering any gaming institutions.