While plenty of people are ignoring basic common sense in order to play Pokémon Go, and at least one person accidentally pissed on a toddler while engaged in the game, it should be obvious that leaving your 2-year-old home by himself in order to catch ’em all is a terrible idea.
And yet that’s a lesson an Arizona couple allegedly hasn’t learned. Brent Daley, 27, and Brianna Daley, 25, have been charged with child endangerment and child neglect after the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said they left their 2-year-old son home by himself for 90 minutes last week while they played the augmented reality game.
The Arizona Republic reported that a neighbor called police when she saw the child outside in the yard by himself.
More from the newspaper:
“When county deputies arrived, the toddler was barefoot and wearing only a diaper and a shirt, screaming and crying, trying to get back into the house, according to police. Deputies got into the home and found a way to contact the father, who reportedly said “whatever” and hung up when told his son was found abandoned, according to the sheriff’s office.
“After nearly an hour, the parents returned and confirmed they were the boy’s parents. Initially, the couple said they left the two-year-old in bed while they went to get gas for their car.
Later, police said the couple changed their story.
“The couple admitted they were away from the residence for up to 90 minutes playing the Pokémon Go smartphone game. They said they were driving around San Tan Valley, stopping at parks and other places to interact with the game,” Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said. “Our agency and many other law-enforcement agencies have been warning people about personal safety while playing this interactive smartphone game, but we never would have imagined that parents would abandon a child to play Pokémon Go.”
When police officers arrived at the house, they allegedly found the boy “red-faced, sweaty and dirty” in the 96-degree heat.