Leaving a Child Alone in a Car for a Few Minutes

You are likely right but only time will tell. There have been stranger situations resulting in actions.

Greetings.....read the entire thread with interest.

To: jdonaldson

What you did was wrong. I think you know that by now. BUT, if the police hadn't shown up on your doorstep; would you have continued the dangerous practice of leaving your child unattended in a vehicle?.......just for a few minutes? I think you would continue to do this and have probably done so many times before you got 'caught' at the liquor store.

As you admit you were wrong numerous times throughout the thread…..yet, there is always the .... "but"....... it was safe, the car was alarmed, the windows were cracked (which doesn't make a difference when vehicles heat up) it was only 65 degrees, I could see him 90% of the time, only picking something up from the front of the store, not a ‘bad’ part of town (my personal favorite) and on and on........

You continue to justify your actions and come to the forum to either: 1. Find out how much trouble you might be in; or 2. Want help to create excuses or 3. Possibly look for support from others who have done this in the past and tell you what you did was okay.

It doesn't make any difference if you (or others) were left in the car as a child.....(as prominent NFL football players are learning as they whoop their children just like they were whooped as a child) This is a very different world we live in. Look around!

As for what DOES happen to children when left alone in a vehicle the list is endless.....strangled by power windows, knock cars into gear, start fires, choke on something, strangle themselves with unused seatbelts, kidnapped, leave the vehicle exposing themselves to countless dangers, falls from vehicles, carbon monoxide poisoning, crashed into by another car in the parking lot, etc. These aren’t possible scenarios, but documented incidents that happen frequently.

As far as charges.......your guess is as good as anyone. Every jurisdiction handles these cases very differently.

Here's a case very similar to yours so you can see what happened to this mom. http://www.today.com/parents/errand-...car-6C10584642

The bottom line is...........why would you ever want to knowingly put your child as risk? It's as simple as your own convenience being more important than the safety of your child. There is no other way to look at it.

Buck up; you got “caught;” but are extremely fortunate nothing happened to your child……

Point of order. That was not a storefront business. Entirely different scenario when going into a department store.

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Quoting nowfortherestofthestory

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Greetings.....read the entire thread with interest.

To: jdonaldson

What you did was wrong. I think you know that by now. BUT, if the police hadn't shown up on your doorstep; would you have continued the dangerous practice of leaving your child unattended in a vehicle?.......just for a few minutes? I think you would continue to do this and have probably done so many times before you got 'caught' at the liquor store.

As you admit you were wrong numerous times throughout the thread…..yet, there is always the .... "but"....... it was safe, the car was alarmed, the windows were cracked (which doesn't make a difference when vehicles heat up) it was only 65 degrees, I could see him 90% of the time, only picking something up from the front of the store, not a ‘bad’ part of town (my personal favorite) and on and on........

You continue to justify your actions and come to the forum to either: 1. Find out how much trouble you might be in; or 2. Want help to create excuses or 3. Possibly look for support from others who have done this in the past and tell you what you did was okay.

It doesn't make any difference if you (or others) were left in the car as a child.....(as prominent NFL football players are learning as they whoop their children just like they were whooped as a child) This is a very different world we live in. Look around!

As for what DOES happen to children when left alone in a vehicle the list is endless.....strangled by power windows, knock cars into gear, start fires, choke on something, strangle themselves with unused seatbelts, kidnapped, leave the vehicle exposing themselves to countless dangers, falls from vehicles, carbon monoxide poisoning, crashed into by another car in the parking lot, etc. These aren’t possible scenarios, but documented incidents that happen frequently.

As far as charges.......your guess is as good as anyone. Every jurisdiction handles these cases very differently.

Here's a case very similar to yours so you can see what happened to this mom. http://www.today.com/parents/errand-...car-6C10584642

The bottom line is...........why would you ever want to knowingly put your child as risk? It's as simple as your own convenience being more important than the safety of your child. There is no other way to look at it.

Buck up; you got “caught;” but are extremely fortunate nothing happened to your child……

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No this hasnt' happened before, but thanks for assuming. Look, I am not going to make any more excuses. I made a stupid mistake and will accept the consequences that I already have and any more I have coming my way.

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Quoting nowfortherestofthestory

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Here's a case very similar to yours so you can see what happened to this mom. http://www.today.com/parents/errand-...car-6C10584642

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Different state, different law. But even in Michigan the law is that "A person who is responsible for the care or welfare of a child shall not leave that child unattended in a vehicle for a period of time that poses an unreasonable risk of harm or injury to the child or under circumstances that pose an unreasonable risk of harm or injury to the child". You're not automatically guilty merely because you leave a child unattended in a vehicle, which appears to be the position the prosecutor is taking in that case.

Still no word yet. Does anyone know what my rights may be to know what is happening?

You have the right to assume they will tell you anything you need to know when you need to know it.

There is no law you can invoke that will force them to say, Yes, we're going to arrest you or No, we're not going to arrest you if that is what you mean. But the longer that goes by, the less likely it is that anything is going to happen.

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Quoting jdonaldson

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Still no word yet. Does anyone know what my rights may be to know what is happening?

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I really doubt that anything is happening at all or will happen.

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Quoting llworking

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I really doubt that anything is happening at all or will happen.

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I do hope that is the case as I have learned my lesson. I just find it odd that I wouldn't hear anything by now. One lawyer I spoke with said that if I don't hear anything by the end of the day Friday, that nothing will probably come of this (as far as being charged or anything). The evening it happened, the deputy said his "supervisor would decide what action to take and that could take up to 2 weeks."

I know it probably sounds odd that I am asking when it has only been almost 5 days and the deputy said it could take up to 2 weeks, but I do have a lawyer that has been in contact with the sheriff's dept asking questions as well as left a message for the deputy that was dispatched to call him and he has not heard anything nor were they able to tell him what was going on with this.

My lawyer DID say he has seen and represented clients in similar but worse cases that ended up in a fine and no criminal record.

The only things helping me get through the day is feeling confident that if something DOES come of this, that I have a highly recommended lawyer that will hopefully represent me very well and help keep this from a criminal record or something worse than a fine. The other is knowing that I have taken a hard look at myself and my life and how I conduct myself. This was a careless, selfish, reckless, and very stupid decision I made that was made without thought (other than "What harm could it be? He will be fine for 5 minutes or less." IF I had really thought that through, I would have either taken him home first or just taken him in with me).

It is very selfish to think that I am a better person, father, and husband because of this (being that it was at the expense of putting my son at risk like I did), but I truly am. I love my son and still can't believe I made the decision I made.

Again, I won't have a choice but to face any consequences headed my way legally, but I really hope it is a "Slap on the wrist" (so to speak)...

No news is usually good news. There is a statute of limitations.

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Quoting jdonaldson

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Still no word yet. Does anyone know what my rights may be to know what is happening?

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