UPDATE: Dad Charged in Toddler's Death Inside Hot Car at Naval Air Station

A father who reportedly forgot that his toddler son was in the back of his vehicle -- even as he drove his car to a meeting -- has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after the child was found dead inside the hot vehicle at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

Connie Hempel, public affairs officer for the air station, told WTTG TV the 17-month-old boy was found unresponsive. The station’s fire and emergency services responded and performed CPR, but the boy was pronounced dead at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

John MacDonald Junek, 40, was supposed to drop the infant off at the Child Development Center at the station. Junek told investigators he got to the base and drove directly to his office, leaving his son in rear-facing car seat, locked inside the car at approximately 8:50 a.m., reports FOX DC.

Investigators say Junek drove his car to a meeting at about 1 p.m., and drove back to his office at about 2 p.m. According to the FOX station, Junek told authorities was in a hurry to get to the meeting, and did not notice his son was still strapped to his car seat.

According to the criminal complaint, Junek’s wife called him at 3:20 p.m. to see if he had their son’s car seat with him. At that point Junek went to his car and found the child unconscious inside the vehicle. Junek called emergency responders and tried to perform CPR on the child until police and EMS arrived and took over.

Involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison.

Hot Car Incidents in Maryland

Authorities across Maryland have prosecuted drivers who intentionally left children or pets in vehicles this summer.

In July, a Rockville mother reportedly left water for a puppy and Gatorade and a cell phone with her 7-year-old son, then left them alone in a car while she shopped for 90 minutes at Gaithersburg’s Lakeforest Mall, authorities allege.

Joshalin Evans, 30, was charged with three felony counts for leaving her son and his puppy in her car when the temperature reached 90 degrees, reportsWJLA TV.

The week before in Anne Arundel County, police broke a window out of a pickup truck to rescue a dog in distress, then cited the owner for leaving the animal alone in the truck.

The incident happened in the Glen Burnie District Court parking lot, where a witness told police she noticed a dog left alone in a truck for at least 30 minutes. One of the truck’s windows was open about an inch and there was no water available for the dog, which police said appeared to be in distress.

Officers broke a window to rescue the pet, which was evaluated by a veterinarian. As a result, the pet was returned to the owner, James Humphries, 54, of Owings Mills.