Hennepin County Defendant Arrested in St. Paul Minnesota Child Endangerment Case
A mother from Hennepin County has been arrested after her infanct child was discovered alone in a motor vehicle at the University Avenue Target store. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the woman left her car running in the parking lot with her six month old daughter in the unlocked vehicle. It was unclear to police how long the child had been left unattended. The child was taken into protective services and is doing fine, according to St. Paul law enforcement.
In Minnesota, it is a crime to neglect or endanger a child.
Neglect occurs when a parent willfully deprives a child of necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision. Acts of neglect constitute a gross misdemeanor, unless the act results in substantial harm. If substantial harm occurs to a child as a result of the neglect a felony charge may follow.
Endangerment occurs if a parent intentionally or recklessly causes or permits a child to be placed in a situation likely to substantially harm the child's physical, mental, or emotional health, causes the child's death or knowingly causes or permits the child to be present where any person is selling, manufacturing, possessing immediate precursors or chemical substances with intent to manufacture, or possessing a controlled substance. Such acts constitute either a gross misdemeanor or felony under Minnesota law, depending upon the harm inflicted upon a child.
