Couple arrested for leaving baby in hotel room while they went to bar next door

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Maybe educate yourself before mouthing off. It's extremely likely that these parents will get their child back promptly, by taking some mandated parenting classes. The child is currently in the care of a relative.

Just so you know, parents really have to do something terrible to get their kids taken away for good. And then the priority is given to close relatives. It's extremely rare for a child to go into foster care with no possibility of family reunification.

The parents got the warning they deserve and now will have to earn some trust back. I think it's the best outcome.

No one said that the child would be taken away for good. The parents have still been arrested. They aren’t going to be able to be Boy Scout leaders or volunteer at the school or do anything that requires a background check for quite a while.

And it still made for a much scarier experience for this child than there needed to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Agree. This is absurd. The baby was in a safe space (crib), secured in the bedroom and the parents were nearby. They weren’t even a car ride away. They were in the same building. The chances the hotel catching on fire are slim to none. Your house could also catch on fire while your kid is sleeping and you aren’t in the same room as them

They weren't in the same building. If you look on google map the Jetty restaurant is not in the same hotel.

Also, this wasn't a baby, it was a toddler at an age when many children start climbing out of cribs. Most hotel rooms have accessible door handles that toddlers can open, and don't have a way to lock from the outside that prevents opening the door with the handle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

I've represented parents in these cases before, and that's a very unlikely outcome on a first offense with no injury. In Montgomery County, my clients got diversion for first offenses.

I do think arresting them is appropriate, because it builds a record that this has happened before. If there's a pattern of leaving a kid in situations like this that should be treated differently, possibly by foster care.

They could have warned the parents and made a report through CPS to create a record of the event.
There was no reason to even wake the child up, let alone send them off with a relative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

The child didn't go into foster care. They got picked up by a relative. I think "your child spends the night with the relative you chose" is not a terrible consequence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

The child was in temporary custody of a family member. Which means that it is better for the relatives also to know that the parents are stupid and need to be monitored. Excellent work by all involved, except the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Agree. This is absurd. The baby was in a safe space (crib), secured in the bedroom and the parents were nearby. They weren’t even a car ride away. They were in the same building. The chances the hotel catching on fire are slim to none. Your house could also catch on fire while your kid is sleeping and you aren’t in the same room as them

Incorrect based on my reading of the article. Deputies had to travel to the nearby bar/restaurant. Nothing in the article suggests that the bar was in the same building--because it wasn't. Clear case of child neglect/child abuse.

What if housekeeping knocked on the door for turn-down service, etc. ? At the very least, the child would be awakened,scared, and exposed to a stranger.

[Anonymous]

Good outcome. How come the parents have two different address? Are they not living together?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Agree. This is absurd. The baby was in a safe space (crib), secured in the bedroom and the parents were nearby. They weren’t even a car ride away. They were in the same building. The chances the hotel catching on fire are slim to none. Your house could also catch on fire while your kid is sleeping and you aren’t in the same room as them

They weren't in the same building. If you look on google map the Jetty restaurant is not in the same hotel.

Also, this wasn't a baby, it was a toddler at an age when many children start climbing out of cribs. Most hotel rooms have accessible door handles that toddlers can open, and don't have a way to lock from the outside that prevents opening the door with the handle.

This is also what makes it different from the example of being right outside your own house (eg sitting in your yard with a monitor after kids are in bed). At least you can childproof / create a safe space the way you cannot in a hotel room.

[Anonymous]

Some people think they have more control over things than they actually do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Agree. This is absurd. The baby was in a safe space (crib), secured in the bedroom and the parents were nearby. They weren’t even a car ride away. They were in the same building. The chances the hotel catching on fire are slim to none. Your house could also catch on fire while your kid is sleeping and you aren’t in the same room as them

Incorrect based on my reading of the article. Deputies had to travel to the nearby bar/restaurant. Nothing in the article suggests that the bar was in the same building--because it wasn't. Clear case of child neglect/child abuse.

What if housekeeping knocked on the door for turn-down service, etc. ? At the very least, the child would be awakened,scared, and exposed to a stranger.

Isn’t that literally what the police did?

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Agree. This is absurd. The baby was in a safe space (crib), secured in the bedroom and the parents were nearby. They weren’t even a car ride away. They were in the same building. The chances the hotel catching on fire are slim to none. Your house could also catch on fire while your kid is sleeping and you aren’t in the same room as them

They weren't in the same building. If you look on google map the Jetty restaurant is not in the same hotel.

Also, this wasn't a baby, it was a toddler at an age when many children start climbing out of cribs. Most hotel rooms have accessible door handles that toddlers can open, and don't have a way to lock from the outside that prevents opening the door with the handle.

That is awful! I think it’s best they let child go with a relative for a bit, while parents receive education and training about parenting. CPS can offer resources for help. Not everyone is a naturally good parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

Agree. This is absurd. The baby was in a safe space (crib), secured in the bedroom and the parents were nearby. They weren’t even a car ride away. They were in the same building. The chances the hotel catching on fire are slim to none. Your house could also catch on fire while your kid is sleeping and you aren’t in the same room as them

Not the same building. The Jetty is about 500 feet away, so not far, but not the same building.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is stupid. I really doubt anyone seriously believes that it is in this child’s best interest to have his/her parents arrested and go into foster care.

The child didn't go into foster care. They got picked up by a relative. I think "your child spends the night with the relative you chose" is not a terrible consequence.

Whatever. Wrong choice of words. If a family member hadn’t been available, the child would have gone into CPS custody or whatever.
The exact person the child was placed with isn’t really the point.