Redmond man cited for leaving baby in hot car at Bend parking lot
A 32-year-old Redmond man was cited for child neglect Wednesday, accused of leaving his 4-month-old baby in the car for several minutes while visiting the Bend Home Depot as temperatures outside rose toward 90 degrees, police said.
Officers responded to the home-improvement store on North Highway 97 on a report of an unattended infant inside a car in the parking lot, said police Lt. Brian Kindel.
The caller had told Deschutes County 911 dispatchers the infant was alone in a child safety seat in a car with the windows partially down and was crying, Kindel said.
The temperature at the time of the call was about 89 degrees, the lieutenant added.
A Bend officer arrived in seven minutes, at 11:41 a.m., found the car and confirmed the information the caller had given.
Just before the officer forced entry into the car to remove the baby, the child’s father, identified as Tyrel Rawlins, came out of the store and was contacted by the officers.
The child was removed from the car and was “determined to be uninjured, although sweaty,” Kindel said in a news release.
An investigation determined Rawlins had been inside the store for about 13 minutes, Kindel said.
A second officer arrived about 10 minutes after the car door was opened and a light breeze was allowed to blow into the car – and at that time, Kindel said, the internal temperature was still at 99 degrees, with the leather seat registering 104 degrees.
Rawlins was cited for second-degree child neglect and released, Kindel said, adding that police were assisted by the state Children’s Services division during the call.
“The Bend Police Department reminds everyone to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle,” Kindel wrote. “With the additional factor of hot weather, this combination can quickly become dangerous, if not fatal.
“Even with windows partially rolled down, internal temperatures of vehicles can quickly and easily significantly exceed 100 degrees,” he added. “Children and animals cannot regulate their body temperature inside a vehicle, and we urge everyone to consider this when they are responsible for children and animals.”
