Baby In Hot Car Leads To Child Cruelty Arrest In San Carlos: SMC

SAN CARLOS, CA — A 39-year-old Patterson man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of felony child cruelty and public intoxication after deputies on foot patrol in San Carlos rescued an 18-month-old baby found crying inside a vehicle of a hot car while he slept, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department reported.

Deputies were conducting foot patrol at in the 600 block of Laurel Street in San Carlos at 4:27 p.m., when they were flagged down by a concerned citizen reporting a baby crying inside a vehicle. Deputies located the vehicle nearby in a parking lot on the west side of Laurel Street and found a man identified as Jeremy Davis asleep in the front passenger seat of his vehicle, they indicated in a report. His daughter was buckled in a car seat in the back.

The vehicle was not running, and all four car windows were slightly open, causing extremely "dangerous temperatures" inside the vehicle. The child was screaming and appeared to be in obvious distress, the sheriff's department said.

Deputies opened the unlocked vehicle and began tending to the child, who was removed from the vehicle and medically evaluated by emergency personnel on the scene. After several repeated attempts to wake Davis, he finally awoke and was found to be under the combined influence of alcohol and cannabis. and was unable to safely care for his own well-being nor care for his 18-month-old baby, the sheriff's office added. Davis was taken into custody and booked into San Mateo County Jail. The child was later released to the custody of her mother and appeared to be doing well in the aftermath of the incident.

Anyone who might have information regarding this crime is encouraged to call the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at 800-547-2700.