Phoenix Dad Arrested: Baby Dies In Hot Car While Father Sleeps In Home After Gin Binge
Tuesday, an Arizona man was taken into custody and booked with two felonies after his child’s death. James Koryor, a Phoenix dad of two kids, was arrested after the younger of the two children were left in a hot car. According to Sport Act, the father left the baby inside the vehicle and fell asleep inside his home after an alcohol binge.
Phoenix police say Koryor, 41, was placed under arrest after an investigation showed he went to a local liquor store, purchased a bottle of gin, and left his 2-year-old boy inside a hot vehicle after a “day of heavy drinking.” Another child, 5, was also left inside the car, but it’s unclear if he let himself out or by some other means. Sgt. Trent Crump said the older child told family members his brother was asleep.
“I think the assumption on their part was that he was probably in the house and he had gone to take a nap.”
A drunk Phoenix dad left his toddler to die inside a hot car as he went home to sleep: police. http://t.co/TL0xXrxr0x pic.twitter.com/aMRPBR3I2M
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 21, 2015
Later, the deceased boy’s mom found him hours later in the back seat of the car. Authorities found signs that the child made frantic attempts to escape, to no avail. Temperatures at the time in Phoenix were 90 degrees.
The arrested man appeared in an Arizona court where a judge assessed his bond at $50,000. Reportedly, he was not represented by a private attorney. Accordingly, the court assigned his case to a public defender.
During the short proceeding, Koryor cried and said he did not have the finances to post bail. At one point, he was so distraught, someone handed him a box of tissue. The judge read out the restrictions of the man’s release until his trial, one which forbids the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
“That means you cannot have any alcohol inside any residence that you stay. None. It has to be immediately removed. All of this is to ensure the safety of your family and of the community, and frankly I’d like to ensure that you are protected from yourself.”
Prosecutors pushed back at releasing the man over fears of him being a flight risk. Evidently, the arrested man has ties to Africa.
With the Phoenix dad arrested, Crump underscored the importance that family members and caregivers be vigilant in terms of protecting the welfare of children, handicapped, elderly, frail individuals, and even pets being transported in motor vehicles. The solution is to simply have a plan in place and practice awareness, especially during extreme weather
[Photo Paula Bronstein/Getty Images]
