A 24-year-old Redding man was arrested for child abuse after locking his two-year-old daughter in a car, with the windows rolled up, during extreme heat, according to the Redding Police Department (RPD).
Police say the incident happened last Friday, Aug. 4, when the child, named Meadow, was entrusted to 24-year-old Jose Ladel Woodcook Serna for a court-ordered, two-hour visitation at his home. However, when Serna did not bring back his toddler after two hours, the family went to his house to get her.
"We walked up to the door and her grandfather, and Summer, the mom, knocked on the door for a while with him not responding or opening the door,” the child's Grandmother, Tiffany DiGiuseppe, told KRCR on Thursday. “I went to get out of my car and saw a little twinkle—a vague sparkle out of the side peripheral vision."
After the family discovered that the child was locked in the car, DiGiuseppe said the family took quick action and broke into the car to rescue her.
Serna reportedly remained inside his home and declined to respond to law enforcement when they arrived at his door. Instead, police say he chose to communicate with RPD dispatchers over the phone.
"Later that evening, a warrant was put out for child abuse and they apprehended him the next day at his residence," DiGiuseppe said.
During Serna's court arraignment on Wednesday, Aug. 9, prosecutors revealed distressing details stating the child had been confined in a vehicle with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
"She definitely was unresponsive," DiGiuseppe said. "Her eyes were barely opened, she was bright red, her heart rate was off the charts, she could not lift her head and she could not move her limbs."
In court, it was ruled that Serna would be prohibited from visiting the child, and would be required to be supervised via a GPS device.
Redding family rescues toddler from hot car during court-ordered visitation with father
A 24-year-old Redding man was arrested for child abuse after locking his two-year-old daughter in a car, with the windows rolled up, during extreme heat.
krcrtv.com
He was probably teying to kill the baby and then would have claimed it was an accident.