Valley Man Charged for Allegedly Leaving Baby in Car to Go to Strip Club

SAN FERNANDO, CA - A man who allegedly left his 9-month-old daughter inside a car in Panorama City last month while he went into a strip club is facing a felony child abuse charge, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced today.

Auwin Dargin, 24, pleaded not guilty to the charge on Monday and is due back in a San Fernando courtroom on May 3.

He allegedly left the baby in the car for about an hour while he went into a strip club at about 2 p.m. March 9. Passersby heard the baby screaming and called police.

"In the midst of them calling the police, the father came out from the strip joint and basically wanted to take the baby," LAPD Officer Charles Chacon told Channel 4.

The passers-by refused to let Dargin take the crying baby and stayed with her until officers arrived, NBC4 reported. The baby was removed from the vehicle and Dargin was arrested by Los Angeles police after returning to the parking lot about 3:15 p.m.

"He basically was not thinking, is what he said," Chacon said. "I thought it was unbelievable. I could not believe a father would put his child in that type of danger."

Dargin was released the next day on a $100,000 bond, according to jail records, and faces up to six years in state prison if convicted.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.