An Orange County man was cited by the Sheriff’s Department on April 2nd for leaving his 11-month-old son in the car while he ran into a Trader Joe’s store. Police received a call at 9:43 a.m. regarding a baby left in a van. Deputies found the sleeping boy alone in the vehicle when they arrived on scene at 9:45 a.m. The father returned to his car just minutes later at 9:48 a.m. with some grocery bags in his hands. He said he did not want to wake his son, so that’s why he had left him alone in the car. Child Protective Services (CPS) was informed of the incident as well and will be conducting an investigation. Fortunately, the child was not taken into protective custody at the time and was allowed to go home with his father.

Another case was recently reported of a woman who left her 4-year-old watching a movie unattended in a Range Rover at The Shops at Mission Viejo while she went into the mall. Parents should be careful of leaving their children unattended as they can be charged with child endangerment under California Penal Code Sections 273a (a) or 273a (b). This crime occurs when an individual places a child in a dangerous situation or allows a child to be placed in a dangerous situation without taking steps to protect the child. Because a child left alone in the car could die from heat or be abducted by passerby, it could be considered a “dangerous situation” to leave the child alone in a car.

Charlie Sheen and his wife received a visit from Child Protective Services (CPS) at their home in Los Angeles. The reason for the home visit by authorities was a result of an alleged domestic violence incident which occurred near a ski resort in Colorado. After domestic violence incidents it is not uncommon for CPS to visit the home to insure the safety of the children who live there. The Sheens have two infant sons and Mr. Sheen has two other children from a previous relationship. After an official visit like this one CPS can decide to take no action or they may institute Dependency Proceedings, wherein the courts assess whether the parenting skills of the parents are sufficient for the children to remain in the home. In extreme cases the children can be removed from the parent and placed with a family member or in foster case. In the case of the Sheens it appears no action was taken by CPS.