Report: Father Left Child, 3, Alone in Car While Getting Haircut

Cartersville police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly leaving his child in his unlocked vehicle so he could get a haircut at a local salon.

According to an incident report, the agency charged Mario Ruben Domingo, 26, of Cartersville with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, and was transported to the Bartow County Jail.

Officers responded around 12:10 p.m. Dec 27 to a complaint of an unsupervised child in a parking lot at 509 North Tennessee Street near Selena’s Hair Salon.

The call initially said a “small child was left alone in a red Nissan Xterra” while an adult male was getting a haircut, the report states.

The responding officer and sergeant found the car in the parking lot, which sits just north of the hair salon’s store front, and was parked to the side closest to North Tennessee Street. A small child, which appeared to be either 2 or 3-years-old was seen inside the unlocked vehicle by herself, the report states.

The officer ventured into the hair salon to locate the driver of the Xterra. 

“After a hesitation, one stylist motioned to a white male, later identified as Mario Ruben Domingo, who then stated ’Red Xterra? Me.’, the officer writes.

Domingo was situated in the front chair, facing north, while getting his hair cut, and “could not see the parking lot, much less the Xterra where he was sitting,” the officer wrote in his narrative.

“Mr. Domingo was advised he needed to come outside,” he added. “Mr. Domingo asked if it had to be right away, indicating he wanted to finish the haircut. He was advised it was going to happen without delay.”

Once outside at the vehicle, Domingo informed officers he was the father of the three-year-old child and he left the toddler inside the car ”so he could get his hair cut.”

The child’s mother was called to the scene to take custody of the juvenile, and the vehicle was left in the parking spot so it could be retrieved by a licensed driver.

Domingo was handcuffed out of the child’s view was transported to the Cartersville police headquarters for processing and later to the jail.

The Division of Family and Children’s Services were notified of the incident and arrest, the officer wrote.

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