We have repeatedly dealt with stories of parents who leave their children in cars while they gamble or party (here) or even commit criminal acts(here). This week, another such arrest was made near our school but this one involves clearly affluent parents who left their two toddlers — a 22-month-old boy and a slightly older girl — in a gray Volvo wagon while they went to a wine tasting at the upscale restaurant Ris. I hope the wine bouquet was satisfying because “the finish” was rough. They were both arrested and now face two counts of attempted second-degree cruelty to children, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Christopher (“Christophe”) Daniel Lucas told police that he left an iPhone in the car with an open connection to the children’s mother, Jennie Teresa Chang. However, police say that the girl was crying hysterically and that the temperature was 35 degrees in a car that was turned off with no heat.
The car was left around a corner from the restaurant and around 400 feet from the door in a major traffic area. The manager said that the couple had been wine tasting for about an hour when police arrived.
Lucas, 41, and Chang, 46, own a $1 million rowhouse near Dupont Circle. They actually live 10 minutes from the restaurant and insisted that they were going out to check on the kids.
The court released the couple but they are being denied access to their children.
Notably, Washington seems to be on a theme regarding parenting and the criminal code. We just discussed a question of whether parents should be charged for allowing their children to walk home alone.
The question is what should the punishment be in such a case. Incarceration or a permanent loss of the children seem unduly harsh even though their actions were clearly outrageous and dangerous. However, forcing the children into foster homes would not necessarily be in their best interests if there are no other indications of endangerment or any abuse. That would leave probation and forced counseling or classes. That might seem too light for some people or the court.
What do you think?
Source: FOX DC
Prairie – no, no I don’t. Totally off key. But I had a great time. EVERYTHING tastes WONDERFUL by the time I get to the end of the tasting. Same thing happened at a beer fest. I really intended to stick with lagers. But these micro brewers were so proud of their product they gave 2 inch tastings. By the end, I was saying, “Why did I ever not like stout? I loooooooooooove stout! Stout tastes like chocolate!” The next day, I tried a bit of my case of stout. I do not like stout.
Apparently I never buy anything I will actually like if I sample more than 3.
I assume that Paul was referring to an ambient temperature of 95F can cause heat stroke under certain conditions.
I, too, was curious about what ambient dry air temperature could initiate hypothermia, so I can have one more thing to worry about as a parent. Apparently, even temperatures above 40 can cause hypothermia, but the variables are age/size of victim, physical activity, length of exposure, and if the conditions are dry & still, wet & windy, or if the victim was wet, such as from extensive crying.
They were in a chilly car for about an hour. Which is very wrong. On the other hand, they have been denied access to their parents, which is traumatizing to young children. That separation alone likely caused the most lasting harm to the kids, which I am most concerned with. Unless I missed it in the article, it did not say if the kids were being cared for by relatives, or complete strangers.
If you are going to remove children from their parents, you had better be completely sure that it is warranted, because such a separation can leave lasting psychological scars. I hope, for the children’s sake, that they were placed with grandparents, or family friends, while CPS investigated to ensure it was a safe environment.
The kids should be our main concern.
Karen,
“This thread has unravelled, too.”
I agree! Sigh…
Great story about the wine and herbs! I can picture it–but, I bet you sing just fine.
This thread has unravelled, too.
Karen – I am sure that somewhere there is a thread that has not unraveled. 🙂
Paul was agreeing what Professor Turley was saying. That it was wrong, but there is a question of how far to punish the parents for a mistake, because the children were scared, but not hurt (yet.) Putting the kids in a foster home would likely yield a worse result, as anyone remotely familiar with the foster system would tell you.
Yes, children that small would go into hypothermia and die faster than an adult. I do not know how long it would take at 35 degrees. A child can play in 35 degree weather but falling asleep or being held in a car seat at that temperature is dangerous. The screaming would raise their temp, but they are expending energy, and weakening.
This reminds me of stories my father-in-law tells, of growing up in Minnesota, no insulation, old farmhouse. The only heat was when the wood stove was going. Water left in the house in cups overnight would freeze. The kids would sleep together, and sometimes the family would sleep in the barn to take advantage of the ambient heat from the cows. During blizzards, they had to tie a rope from the house to the barn so no one would get lost and die after feeding the stock. I have no idea how any of them survived, but apparently this was how farmers lived for centuries in the midwest and Europe.
I’m glad they were found before there were medical consequences. I agree that the parents should face consequences, but unless an investigation turns up more info, it sounds like the kids would be worse off if removed.
PR, blowhards tend to be all hot air, I’m confident that you won’t let Paul tell you what you can and cannot do. He can’t tell ANYONE here what they can or cannot do. He has no authority here. This is JT’s blog. Bullying is cowardly.
Inga – ad hominem attacks are your stock in trade the last couple of days.
I just can’t bring myself to spit out each tasting, as serious tasters do. That would just be messy.
Paul and DBQ – literally one glass of wine will make me markedly tipsy. When I go to a wine tasting, I have to choose white or red or dessert, because if I taste all of them, I’m going to be tipsy. It’s ridiculous. The last time I tasted a full offering at a large winery, I ended up buying bottles of dessert wine (which I usually dislike), a couple of cases of wine, and so many herbs from their organic farm that they had to loan me a wagon to get them all to the car (I was not driving.) I think I sang the whole ride home. I can’t sing.
DBQ,
Good grief. I’ve chided Inga, too, in the past. Perhaps I missed a reference that might indicate that Paul supports medical marijuana, which one could then infer Inga was being critical of him. Sheesh.
Why is everyone so cranky and mean to one another?!
Prairie Rose – I voted for medical marijuana both times it was on the ballot in Arizona.
Which YOU added to DBQ.
@ Prairie Rose
You are fine with scolding Paul for his comment…..however his comment came AFTER Inga directed this at him….and you know it it was directed at him since those two were the ones going tit for tat.
Most of us don’t smoke medical marijauna to get to sleep, we leave it for those who truly need it.
Being pretty selective about who should write with clarity and who gets to be scolded aren’t you and who you chose to go to bat for….aren’t you?
I’m done with this juvenile jerk fest.
Paul C. Schulte,
“how was it rude? It is a true statement.”
It was directed at Inga and you know it because she was just talking about her health issues that require medication. If you weren’t directing it at her, then you should apologize for the misunderstanding. You are responsible for writing with clarity so misunderstandings do not occur.
Prairie Rose – do not ever read something into my writing that I do not put there.
PR, true it doesn’t fix a thing. It does give me a bit of satisfaction though. That may be a personal flaw of mine I’m willing to admit. Lord knows I’m not perfect, but I’m no one’s victim either.
Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out.
Inga,
Here’s a link that might help with the circadian rhythm issues:
http://www.thepaleomom.com/2014/02/regulating-circadian-rhythm.html
The blogger is a Ph.D. in medical biophysics, if I recall.
Inga,
I understand the driving reason behind why you choose to engage them. But what does it fix?
And just one more thing Paul, to be clear, at what temp does a body display symptoms of hypothermia? You should know by now and have learned your lesson.
a. 95 degrees F
b. 35 degrees C
Be careful it’s a trick question.
Inga – you really have taken to that Alinsky book. Good for you. It is an easy read.
OK, now we are once again getting into the “creep” factor. You DO NOT know me, except for what I’ve shared here on this blog. For anyone to indicate that they know things about other commenters’s private lives offline is just strange. If I say something about any commenter here it’s because THEY THEMSELVES have shared that info online here on this blog. I’m done responding to you Paul for now. When you start getting personally intrusive and try to say you ‘know’ things about other commenters here, you have once again ventured into high weirdness.
And Paul, you don’t know me either. THAT is the POINT. Get it? As for egocentric people Paul, look in the mirror and don’t be embarrassed about thinking that a temp of 95 degrees F is heat stroke. It’s an honest mistake.
Inga – careful reading is not your forte is it? And I know a lot more about you than you would like. THAT is the POINT. Get it?
Oh Paul, you most certainly do angry. It’s very evident. So, what is a normal temp for a human again??
Paul it may be a true statement for others, but we all know you meant me or Mespo.
Inga – since you don’t know me, you don’t know what I do. And don’t be so egocentric, everything is not about you. However, speaking about you. Do you have Alinsky’s book next to your computer? Or did the DNC send you the highlighted bullet points?