Leaving baby in truck "a terrible mistake" - parents left 4mo old in truck while eating lunch

TUCSON -- A Tucson husband and wife who left their 4-month-old son in their truck for at least an hour while they lunched are loving parents who made a mistake, their lawyer said Friday.

"What happened here was a terrible mistake that, believe it or not, can happen," Stephen M. Weiss said. "As far as we're concerned, there was no criminal conduct."

But officials - including Oro Valley police who charged Daniel Popson, 35, and Suzanne Popson, 28, with felony counts of child abuse - disagree.

"I think they're very fortunate it didn't turn out to be a fatal incident," said Becky Mendez, a spokeswoman for the Oro Valley Police Department.

Officials also said the incident was especially worrisome coming so soon after another Tucson woman left her child in a hot car so long that she died.

"We are seeing tragedies we don't have to see," said Mary Judge Ryan, chief deputy Pima County attorney. "There is no excuse for people ignoring their parental duties and forgetting their children. It's child abuse."

The Popsons, of the 2000 block of East Quiet Canyon Drive, were booked into the Pima County jail and released. Each could face two to nearly nine years in prison.

The Popsons - who own Popson Homes Inc., a custom building company that has put up a handful of high-end homes in the past few years - went to an Oro Valley restaurant at noon Tuesday to have lunch with their business manager.

After about an hour, as they received the bill, Suzanne Popson realized they'd left their son in his car seat in the back seat of the truck. The temperature climbed from 99 degrees at noon to 102 degrees at 1 p.m.

She jumped up and ran out. Her husband followed as he realized what had happened. The business manager, who holds a position in the couple's church, followed and soon ran back asking for water and wet towels.

Meanwhile, Suzanne Popson began breast-feeding the boy to give him fluids and her husband turned on the air-conditioning.

The three left quickly to take the boy to an emergency room but changed direction when they realized they were closer to the boy's pediatrician's office.

When they took the boy there, Weiss continued, they learned he hadn't suffered any permanent damage. Wanting to be sure, Suzanne Popson insisted they take the child to a lab, where she asked for tests to confirm the boy's condition.

None of the three ever called police, but a restaurant employee at Risky Business, at North Oracle Road and First Avenue, did - after piecing together the events behind the frantic scene.

"I'm not here to get anybody in trouble, but at the same time, I think it's up to all of us in the world as adults to watch after children," restaurant owner Jon Alubowicz said. "I'm thankful the child is OK and made it through what he did."

After the group left he decided he had to call the police, he said, thinking about the June 29 incident that claimed the life of Dalina Gutierrez's 6-month-old daughter, Alejandra.

Tucson police said Gutierrez, 21, picked up two of her three children from a relative's home about 5 a.m. She took the older child inside but left Alejandra in the car and fell asleep for at least five hours. When Gutierrez awoke about 10:30 a.m., she realized Alejandra was still in the car. The baby had no pulse when medics arrived and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The incident was the first this year in Arizona in which a child has died from being left inside a vehicle. At the time, it was the 10th such incident in the nation this year. But the days since then have been especially deadly, said Janette Fennell, president and founder Kids and Cars, a nonprofit child safety group based in San Francisco.

"Everybody thinks this isn't going to happen to them," Fennell said. "But this is unfortunately the time of year that the lion's share of these incidents happen. . . . You think that finally people are going to get the message and never leave their kids alone in the car, but it continues to happen."

In 2002, 30 children died in the United States after being left alone in cars, she said, down from 34 deaths the year before. In Arizona, at least eight children have died since 1994.

It's amazing the Popsons' son won't be added to that list, said Dr. Kevin Reilly, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Arizona who also works in the emergency department at University Medical Center.

"I think we're very lucky we didn't have a heat-related death," he said. "I think there was some divine intervention."

According to a study, he said, a car on a 93-degree day will reach 125 degrees within 20 minutes. Within 40 minutes, it reaches 140 degrees.

"I think that our job as health- care professionals is to point out to people that it's an extremely dangerous practice to leave your children in the car, even if you think it's only going to be for a couple of minutes," he said.

That's true even on cool days, he and Fennell said, because kids can knock the car in gear and roll into the street - or run over other children. Someone can steal the car, taking the kids, too.

Weiss addressed his clients' fitness as parents by pointing to how quickly Child Protective Services returned the boy and his two older siblings to the couple. They were taken Tuesday afternoon and returned about 24 hours later.

Fennell said the relatively quick return wasn't unusual, compared to similar cases.

"Obviously it was a mistake," Weiss said of the incident. "They are regular church-going people . . . and, I guess, above all of that, really loving and responsible parents. I can't even begin to tell you how terrible this is for them."

I remember when I was a kid, my parents left our dog in the car on a hot day...

Years ago in Houston, TX, my neighbor was unloading groceries and her 3 kids from her car. Several trips back and forth to the house ensued. Hours later someone missed the dog. They found him dead in the car, but he had torn up the entire inside of the car before he died. It was not a pretty sight.

He must have jumped in when they were unloading, and one of the kids slammed the door after the last bag was taken inside. They felt awful about their dog -- and even worse when they found they had to replace the car because of all the damage to the interior.

Folks,

Though I can NEVER see myself making this mistake, this particular incident was a mistake. These people are not inhuman predators. They made no attempt to hide their mistake, and immediately tried to give aid when they remembered. They weren't leaving their 2 year old while they were in the crack house smoking crack. They had a sleeping baby in the back of the truck when they pulled up to a business meeting and forgot. Unbelievable, yes, unforgivable no. Thank God the baby wasn't injured.

I have two children. 6 and 2 years old. They are and have always been with me. On the odd occasion they are not with me they are home with my husband. That being said, they are like an extension of myself and I can't imagine just having it slip my mind that oops, I left the baby in the car.

This happened yesterday in Phoenix. It was 114 degrees and a woman left her 18 month old in the new SUV to go into COSTCO. Some passerby noticed and he and some others pryed the window down and got the little guy out. Luckily, he was ok.

WTF is going on out there????? You mean to tell me you didn't notice that you were peacefully shopping when you know you should have had someone trying to jump out of the cart, or tearing through the shelves or whatever other things kids do to drive you crazy? BS.

It was a business lunch, obviously involving MONEY, so of course you could forget a 4-month old. Thank God this child didn't suffer any permanent damage.

This has to be the result of a disconnect between parents and baby. It seems it would be easier to "forget" a baby if caring for that baby is a small part of your existence.

I am so used to being with my children that when my husband takes them out somewhere or if I am out without them, I have been known to panic at seeing that they are not right beside me.

That BOTH parents forgot, well, it's hard not to assign some evil motive to that.

Thank God the baby wasn't injured.

Indeed. No one, at least not me, is saying they are inhuman predators. I think the general feeling is one of sadness and disbelief that two people would leave/forget about their kid in the car. How many people would forget an envelope containing $50,000 sitting in the car if they got out? They would be thinking about it alot I am sure, and worried someone may take it if left there.

I'm NOT excusing anything here, just wondering if this is one more unintended consequence of day care or extensive babysitting by anyone. If you were used to shopping alone, if it was common for you to leave your car without your baby, might it be easier to forget about it?

I think it might very well be. If I am right, it's terribly sad that many poor little babies are being brought up in an atmosphere where no one in particular is passionate about him/her. A parent, connected to and adoring of, a baby he/she doesn't spent a lot of time with would be expected to be attentive when they ARE together.

YOU ARE A JOKE? Aren't you?? I hope!

"Though I can NEVER see myself making this mistake, this particular incident was a mistake. These people are not inhuman predators. They made no attempt to hide their mistake, and immediately tried to give aid when they remembered. They weren't leaving their 2 year old while they were in the crack house smoking crack. They had a sleeping baby in the back of the truck when they pulled up to a business meeting and forgot. Unbelievable, yes, unforgivable no. Thank God the baby wasn't injured."

I am sick at how this generation turn out!

We really lost ground it took generations to reach apoint in the 50's where more of the citizens were exercising common sence than not!

Now we witness a nation groping in darkness in a sea of liberal legacy!

I don't have children, but I come from a large family and used to 'babysit' alot. There's an almost 6th sense about where the kids are, or if it's too quiet, etc. that you have to have as caretaker, let alone a parent. I think your reaction to your children being gone is more the norm, at least in past generations.

I have a friend who has 5 boys (17-3) and can hear through 2 closed doors and a long hallway at 3am if one of them coughs the wrong way (her 5 yr old coughs before he throws-up). She'll stop in mid-sentence if she hasn't seen or heard them for a couple of minutes. I think part of being a mom (in particular) is that you ALWAYS have an awareness of your children

I hope no one tells this story to the baby when he grows-up, and hopefully their other children won't know about it either.

I agree although one morning I drove down the driveway, its about a quarter mile, folks and then slammed on the brakes when I counted heads and realized that I had forgot the baby. I had left the baby in her crib, sound asleep. Sleep deprived mother.

I have child attacks regularly. A child attack is when I am standing in a store when I suddenly whip around looking for one or more child. My heartrate goes back to normal when I realize that they home with Dad and that I am traveling solo that day.

**Child attacks are closely related to key attacks, where you start patting all your pockets to make sure you still have your keys.

"I just love how doing selfish, harmful things has changed from being 'wrong' to being 'a mistake'

Liberals don't believe in right and wrong. To them right and wrong do not exist. Using the word "mistake" vs. "wrong" allows them to FEEL better about themselves.

When my 2.5 year old was first born, I had those attacks all the time. As I was used to just one child, I was convinced I was going to leave him in the shopping cart, on the driveway in his babyseat, anywhere. I would ask my then 3 year old if the baby was back there, reach behind me, a couple of times I actually pulled over to make sure. (I never did forget him BTW) I thought I was developing some type of complusive disorder.

I remember reading article about a study done on children in daycare and the attachment they have with their mother. The study found that even though the babies spent long hours with another caretaker they still developed healthy attachments to their mother. It was the mother who developed less strong bonds, according to this study. (Sorry, it was a few years back, no link)

Well, understand not only the 'key' attacks;but the 'child' ones as well. Have a few in my history as well. . .

Am thinking these parents, made a decision first to let the baby sleep, while they ate and then forgot about the time and the baby as well.

Whatever the scenario; do not believe their intentions were 'abusive' and they are fortunate. . . but am really sickened at the number of chidren 'left behind. . .forgotten and then suffer terribly and die.

Dark windows on cars obscure not only outside eyes; but parental ones too sometimes and the baby in the 'back seat' is forgotten.

Thinking maybe carmakers or 'Security' may want to come up with something - a beeeper - or somesuch, to let someone know there is still life in a darkened car; when driver exits. Sad, but maybe necessary in today's stressed world.

These "parents" need to be prevented from ever breeding again. I just got back from Phoenix. You don't leave ANYTHING living in the car if you want it to still be living when you return. 114 degrees is a blast furnace inside, even if the windows are down. Ever see a video left in a car in the heat? It's a deformed mess.

These people are idiots and need to have spend the next 5 years working at an abused child shelter. My wife and I refused to ever leave our kids in the car, in fear of something happening to them, until they were about 12 years old.

"Thinking maybe carmakers or 'Security' may want to come up with something -"

They already did. They have intelligent car locks. Some dumb @ss computer decides all by itself it's time to lock all the doors.

Ma leaves the keys and purse on the front seat to go retrieve the kid from the back seat. Shuts the front door and goes to open the back. All the doors were unlocked, but as ma's hand heads for the back latch she hears the bolt slam. Now all the doors are locked. Ma calls 911 and in the mean time gets the assistance of 3 other women with tire irons and hammers. They pound for 15 mins before the cops show. Cop fails with his slim jim, because they're electronic locks. He tells the women he's not allowed to break windows, only they can do that. So he tells them to keep at it.

In the mean time baby is dying from the heat. He's completely red and screaming wildly. After 20 mins cop calls for backup and paramedics arrive 10 mins later. Total time, 50 mins. Paramedics make an official determination that the baby's life is in danger so they tell the cop to give them a hand prying off the sun roof with their wrecker bars. Baby gets med treatment including a cold bath. He's now fine, except for the worried look on his face now when he's buckled in the car seat.

I think the general feeling is one of sadness and disbelief that two people would leave/forget about their kid in the car. How many people would forget an envelope containing $50,000 sitting in the car if they got out? They would be thinking about it alot I am sure, and worried someone may take it if left there.

I did not get the sense this was intentional. I don't know what was happenning in their life and I can't really judge this. I do know that when I have put my daughters in their backward facing baby seat and driven them they immediately go to sleep. I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN MY DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME BUT I AM NOT PERFECT. She is uppermost on my mind but I really don't know what was happening with these people that caused this. One thing I am sure is that they love their daughter more than the business deal. This is the same story as the father backing over his child on the way to work, the cop absentmindingly leaving his gun on his bedstand when the nephews show up etc. It is something that is never supposed to happen but none of us is PERFECT. I know I am capable of making a mistake. The best of us have.

Pray you are not held to perfection

YOU ARE A JOKE? Aren't you?? I hope!

No I am someone who realizes I am fallible. I am someone who has let the relative importance of things get out of proportion in my life. I am someone who has brought work home and ignored my family for a $hithole job. I have done stupid things when I was distracted that I would never do otherwise. I have made traffic errors that could have killed people. I have been graced that I have done nothing like this. That being said, I am a man who has made mistakes, none approaching the magnitude of this one but I have made them and know I am capable of errors.

You on the other hand are a PERFECT idiot. Go back to wherever you were before September 2001.

"They already did. They have intelligent car locks. Some dumb @ss computer decides all by itself it's time to lock all the doors."

No question, more design today favors the already dumbed-down mentality. . .and frustrates the rest of us :^)

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