Girl, 4, is rescued from freezing car parked at truck stop while her guardian played ‘skill games’ inside
A woman faces charges after leaving a four-year-old girl inside a car while she played games inside a rest stop, police said.
Brittney Clark, 27, was arrested by police in Lincoln, Nebraska, last week, according to KOLN.
Police were first alerted to the problem after a caller told 911 dispatchers that they saw the young girl left unattended at Shoemaker’s Travel Center around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The child’s caregiver, Clark, was inside playing “skill games” inside the truck stop, according to the report.
Skill games are often computer-based or casino-type activities where players can win money.
Officers went to the truck stop and found the four-year-old alone in the car with the radio blaring, according to the report. The window was partly rolled down and the vehicle’s engine was off.
The outside temperature at the time was around 24 degrees, according to the report.
The child had also soiled herself by the time police arrived at the scene.
Clark came out of the truck stop and told police that she left the heat running, the KOLN report stated. But, police showed her that was not possible with the engine off.
Employees at the stop said Clark had been playing the games for about two hours.
When police went to arrest Clark, she bit one of the officers and kneed him in the groin, authorities noted. The child was taken into emergency custody.
Clark was charged with felony child abuse and third-degree assault on an officer. Her bond was set at $10,000.