Dad Allegedly Leaves Baby In Car With Engine Running While He Gambles In Casino

A man allegedly left his one-year-old son unattended in the front seat of a running car while he gambled at Bally’s Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.

Cops estimated that the toddler — who was found in the driver’s seat playing with the steering wheel — was left alone for about an hour last night. The child was unharmed fortunately.

Pursuant to Mississippi Gaming Commission regulations, a sign posted outside the venue warns customers that the police will be called out if any child is left alone in a car. The sign reads “Children or vulnerable adults must not be left unattended in vehicles. Violations may result in notification to the Department of Human Services and or law enforcement authorities.” In this instance, the keys were in the ignition of the car in the casino’s parking lot, Reuters reports, which makes the situation even more dangerous on several different levels.

The Tunica County Sheriff’s Department charged the man, 45, with child neglect. He bonded out of Tunica Count Jail on $500 bail according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The baby is being cared for by family members, and the state Department of Human Services apparently has or will have an investigation underway into the incident.

According to the Bally’s Tunica website, the 40,000 square foot casino “has over 1,200 of the hottest slots and more than 20 of the most exciting table games, including Roulette, Craps, Blackjack, and more.”

As the Inquisitr has previously reported, a number of similar disturbing incidents have occurred at gambling establishments around the country. For example, a North Carolina man stands accused of locking his 98-year-old mother inside a hot car while he spent time in a casino in an incident that occurred last month. On New Year’s Eve, a casin0-gambling mom allegedly left her four-year-old daughter alone in an SUV for about eight hours in near-freezing temperatures while she tried her luck inside the Maryland Live! facility. In Florida, Two moms allegedly left four kids in a running car unattended while they went gambling at the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach. Police made arrests in all of these incidents. There have also been a slew of young children abandoned by their parents in hot cars this summer.

[Image via Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock.com]