Police in St. Catharines, Ont. have charged a father with child abandonment after his two-year-old son was left unattended in a parking lot for 30 minutes in a car that was then stolen.
Niagara Regional Police said a father reported he had parked his black 2007 Toyota Prius with the child inside in a parking lot in the Welland Avenue and Geneva Street area when it was stolen around 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Police told Global News the child was left alone for around 30 minutes but would not comment on what exactly the father was doing during that time.
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Uniformed officers and detectives from the Criminal Investigations Branch then “flooded the area” to search for the child and the car.
At around 3:10 p.m., police received a 911 call reporting that the boy had been dropped off at a business in Grimsby, Ont.
Paramedics assessed the child at the scene and police said he “appeared to be well and in good health.” He was later transported to hospital as a precaution.
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“Luckily the child was safely returned and that’s our concern whenever a child that young is left alone in a vehicle for 30 minutes. That’s just beyond a trivial distraction,” Sgt. Rich Gadreau said.
“The car was running, which is probably why it was taken.”
On Monday, police announced they had found criminal grounds to charge the father for “putting the child at risk” and he was charged with one count of abandoning a child.
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The man’s name or age are not being released to protect the identity of the child. He was released with a promise to appear at a later court date.
Police said the stolen car was located in Hamilton but the incident is still under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-688-4111 ext. 4286.
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