Man arrested after baby is left in hot car
Five-month-old locked in vehicle parked in direct sunlight
On Thursday afternoon, the San Luis Obispo Police Department received a 911 call from an alert resident. The caller reported a baby was locked inside a parked vehicle in the parking lot adjacent to the Wells Fargo bank.
Responding officers located the vehicle and baby who was secured inside the vehicle. The doors were locked and the two front windows were open about one and a half inches. The baby was secured in the back seat and those windows were closed. The vehicle was parked in direct sunlight.
The officers were able to gain entry to the vehicle where they rescued the 5-month-old baby.
Based on witness statements at the location it is believed the child had been left inside the car for approximately thirty minutes.
The baby’s father, Stephen Miller, 42, of Morro Bay returned a short time later and told officers he forgot the baby was in the vehicle. Miller was taken into custody for child endangerment. Miller was booked at the San Luis Obispo County Jail. His bail was set at $100,000.
Child welfare services was called to the location and the baby was turned over to their custody.
Police issue warning on dangers of leaving children in a vehicle
Following the incident, the San Luis Obispo Police Department issued a warning on the dangers associated with leaving those unable to care for themselves alone in a vehicle. On Oct. 11, the Fresno Police Department responded to a deceased 11-month old baby who was left under similar circumstances.
According to researchers at Stanford, a vehicles interior can rise by an average of 40 degrees within one hour when outside temperatures are 72 to 96. According to the same study there are child deaths documented with outside temperatures as low as 70 degrees. The temperature at the time todays incident occurred was 73 degrees in San Luis Obispo.