A mother in Alaska has been charged after reportedly leaving her child alone in a vehicle while she had a “romantic rendezvous” at a hotel, as reported by PEOPLE. 

According to a news release from the Alaska Department of Public Safety State Troopers division, 38-year-old Lillian Johnson was arrested on a first-degree charge of endangering the welfare of a child. On Tuesday, March 18, dispatchers received a call from a worried citizen. They reported hearing a child crying in a parked car. When troopers arrived, they discovered a 20-month-old child “abandoned in a car” outside a local hotel and bar in Healy, Alaska, as stated in the release.

“The child was crying, the vehicle was off, with a window partly opened with outside temperatures at 6 degrees Fahrenheit,” state troopers said. EMS personnel were called to the scene, where they “removed the child from the vehicle” and provided treatment for “hypothermia.” The child was then taken by medics to “the EMS/Fire Department for additional treatment,” per the release. “The child was treated for early stages of hypothermia,” state troopers said.

Authorities Launched Investigation into the Incident

Officials reported that the child’s mother was not “immediately found” when the toddler was taken for further medical care. However, she “exited the hotel after EMS had already left with her child.” Alaska State Troopers launched an investigation into the incident and obtained hotel security footage from that evening. The footage reportedly shows that Johnson was inside the hotel for around 35 minutes, from approximately 8:18 p.m. to 8:53 p.m., “before returning to check on the child” and discovering that the 20-month-old was no longer there.

Investigators said their investigation revealed that Johnson had “left her child in the car to have a romantic rendezvous with a guest at the hotel.” No further details have been provided. 

#Clique, what are your thoughts?