A 1-year-old boy was found alive after his father allegedly left him trapped inside a locked car that was then impounded for nearly two days, Michigan authorities said.
Cops discovered the toddler crying and pinned between a car seat and passenger door inside the vehicle at an Eastpointe tow lot on Feb. 28, after the child’s mother went to Detroit police to report him missing earlier that day, WXYZ reported.
The 13-month-old had been locked inside the vehicle for roughly 36 hours since his father had allegedly parked it on a restricted side of the street and blocked a resident’s driveway on the evening of Feb. 26, the outlet reported.
The tot was trapped inside as the car got towed the next day, according to Harper Woods Police Chief Jason Hammerle – who said the officer who impounded the vehicle did a routine visual inspection, but somehow failed to observe the child inside.
The boy – whose injuries weren’t known – was reportedly taken to the hospital, where he was reportedly listed in stable condition and taken into Child Protective Services custody.
His father, Orlander Murnell Linson Jr., has since been charged with second-degree child abuse.
During his arraignment this week, Linson’s court-appointed lawyer said his client works as a security guard for pizza joint Little Caesars – and is a doting father of five.
“[Linson] realizes that this is just a bad decision made in a split second, so we’re hoping that he could have a personal bond so that he can adjudicate this case and get back to his family quickly,” the attorney said.
The judge, however, ordered Linson — who reportedly had 10 active warrants and no primary address at the time of his arrest — held on $100,000 bond. His next court date is March 11.
The disturbing incident has raised questions about whether police should have done more before the vehicle was towed – with retired Detroit Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt telling WXYZ that cops in this case “dropped the ball.”
“They couldn’t get into it right away. From what I’ve seen in the past, all tow yards have a Slim Jim or some way to get into cars. Granted, the car wasn’t flagged – the officer thought it was just a routine impound. In this case, it was not,” Dolunt explained.
“Fortunately, they got to it before the baby was deceased. So yeah, they dropped the ball,” he said.
When asked by a reporter this week if cops had equipment to access and search locked cars before impounding them, Hammerle responded: “We do not possess those types of tools.
“I’m satisfied that our officer followed policy in that incident. We cannot enter or damage locked vehicles, and he did a visual inspection from the outside – I’m satisfied with that,” the chief said.
Hammerle also praised a detective who, after talking to the toddler’s mother, quickly learned that her boyfriend’s car had been towed – and thought to check it, the outlet reported.
“That detective did an outstanding job by locating the car, considering it wasn’t quite registered to the suspect yet in this case,” he said.
