Parents Face Criminal Charges for Leaving Kids in Car

Parents Christopher Daniel Lucas and Jennie Teresa Chang have pleaded “not guilty” to two counts of second-degree cruelty after leaving their two toddlers in a car in bitterly cold weather while they went to a wine tasting in DC, according to The Washington Post.

Someone who heard the children’s cries coming from the car called police; the dad apparently came to the car after police arrived at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, telling police he and his wife were monitoring their kids using an iPhone, according to NBC-4. An employee at the restaurant holding the wine-tasting, Ris, told police the couple were at the wine tasting for an hour.

While the toddler-age children were wearing coats, they were not wearing socks or shoes in the family’s Volvo station wagon, parked in the 1100 block of 23rd Street NW (see map), according to the Post. The restaurant is located around the corner, at 2275 L St. NW. The area is near the Ritz Carlton hotel in DC’s West End neighborhood.

A judge has ruled that the parents, Lucas, 42 and Chang, 46, are not allowed to contact the children before the next hearing Feb. 18. The kids are in the custody of D.C. family services, according to NBC-4.

WJLA caught up with the parents after they were released from custody on Monday; the two were shown running from a TV cameraman and jumping into a cab.

A listing in whitepages.com shows the family lives nearby in a $1 million-plus home.

Laws vary among states regarding leaving children alone in cars.

In Maryland, a person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child. (b) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both.

Virginia has no specific age restrictions for leaving children alone.

See more state laws on leaving kids alone here.

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