WOODLAND, Wash. (KOIN) — Two Woodland parents were arrested after officers said they found their 11-month-old baby unattended in the backseat of a vehicle in 80-degree weather.
Dylan Daniel Wenger, 22, and Megan Elizabeth Wenger, 23, allegedly left their infant unattended in a car while they went to eat at a local restaurant on Friday. They are charged with reckless endangerment and leaving a child in a vehicle at a liquor establishment.
At about 7:45 p.m., Woodland police found a child unattended in a vehicle at Casa Tapatia Mexican Restaurant after responding to a call. The caller, a woman who is a registered nurse, led the officer to the vehicle, according to police records. Three windows were rolled down and the child could be seen sitting in back in a car seat.
The caller, along with her husband, waited near the vehicle for the parents to return. Police records show the woman went into the restaurant where she saw both parents seated at a booth in the back of the restaurant, out of sight from the vehicle. After waiting for 45 minutes, she contacted the police.
When an officer began to enter the restaurant, a man, later identified as Dylan Wenger, stepped outside, police records show. Wenger was placed under arrest after he was asked if he was the owner of the vehicle and told police he had been checking on the 11-month-old every 5 minutes.
The officer on the scene said Wenger had been drinking at the restaurant, which serves beer, wine and hard liquor. Megan Wenger was also arrested.
When the infant was removed from the car, he was damp with sweat and needed a new diaper, according to police reports. The officer also found a mostly consumed bottle of vodka in the car.
After the incident, the toddler was given to his grandmother. The police report will be forwarded to the Child Protective Services for a follow-up.
Both parents posted their $1,000 bail and will be arraigned on June 6 Cowlitz County District Court.
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