A Connecticut dad who allegedly left a six-month-old in a hot car for about 30 minutes is facing a charge of risk of injury to a minor.
The man headed into a New London supermarket while the temperature in his unlocked vehicle climbed to 130 degrees . He reportedly was distracted by texting as he left the car, which caused him to forget about his baby daughter in the back seat.
Chronicling the Tuesday afternoon incident, Hartford’s WFSB reported that “Police said the child was left in the car for 30 minutes or more, and they said the interior temperature of the vehicle at one point reached more than 130 degrees… According to court documents, officers arrived to find the baby crying and soaked in sweat. They observed three out of four windows were rolled all of the way up, and the fourth window was open less than 1 inch.”
A passerby in the parking lot area apparently alerted New London cops to the infant in the sweltering vehicle. EMTs transported the baby, who was breathing and alert, to a local hospital, and she is said to be doing fine, fortunately. At the request of responding police, the store paged the car owner, at which point he came running out to the parking lot.
After the suspect was detained and put in a police cruiser, he reportedly asked officers if he could roll his window down.
The suspect, identified in multiple media accounts as Brian Pavao, 33, is being held on $25,000 bond and is due back in court on July 15.
At Pavao’s arraignment today, the presiding judge opined that “This one is a little more than stupid… this is closer to the criminal side in my mind.”
The charge is classified as a Class C felony which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Connecticut law prohibits any child under 12 from being left unsupervised in a car for a period of time that could substantially endanger the child’s health or safety.
The state Department of Children and Families is also looking into this incident.
[Image via Shutterstock ]
