Toddler Left in Car, Dad Charged with Child Abuse
A hotel employee alerted police to a child crying in a vehicle that had been left unattended. According to Sioux Falls Public Information Officer Sam Clemens said Desmond Lavar Jones, of Sioux Falls, was charged with abuse or cruelty to a minor under 7 years old.
KSFY TV is reporting that the incident occurred Saturday evening at Country Inn and Suites in downtown Sioux Falls. In his report, Clemens said a hotel employee told police a vehicle had been parked in the hotel parking lot for nearly an hour. The employee reported they could hear a child crying in the vehicle.
The hotel employee told police they went to the vehicle and found a boy inside. Clemens said while the inside of the vehicle was warm, the child was not injured.
As police investigated outside of the hotel, authorities said Jones arrived told them he did not know the child was in the car. Clemens said Department of Social Services took custody of the child since they have yet to locate his mother. The child's mother is believed to be Jones' girlfriend.