Unattended Child Leads To Charge Filed In Farmington

FARMINGTON, CT — A 31-year-old Norwich woman has been charged criminally after a child was found unattended in a vehicle at a busy shopping mall, Farmington police said.

The incident was at a parking lot at the Westfarms shopping mall, a massive retail center that straddles the Farmington-West Hartford line.

Police said the child was left in the vehicle for 20 to 25 minutes while the woman shopped.

The only age reference for the child in an arrest report was "younger than 12."

Leaving a child unattended in a car is governed under Connecticut Statute 53-21a.

It reads:

"Any parent, guardian or person having custody or control, or providing supervision, of any child under the age of 12 years who knowingly leaves such child unsupervised in a place of public accommodation or a motor vehicle for a period of time that presents a substantial risk to the child's health or safety, shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor."

The woman posted a $1,500 bond and has a court date of April 13, according to an arrest report. An arrest repot did not detail the relationship between the woman and a child.