Oklahoma police last week disclosed that a mother had left her 16-month-old, medically fragile child alone in a car for over five hours while the mother was inside a casino gaming.
Due to her activities on May 31 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, Dacie Yeager was charged with child neglect.
The youngster was first seen in the car by security personnel at the Catoosa, Oklahoma, gaming establishment by themselves. The car's doors were locked and the engine was left running.
The child was saved by police officers who busted open the car. The infant was brought to a nearby hospital and is supposedly on a feeding tube.
Yeager left her car in the casino at 9:30 a.m. and didn't get back until 3 p.m., when she fled the establishment while police were nearby.
Yeager first informed the police that the infant had been left in the car for roughly twenty minutes. However, Catoosa detectives discovered that she had been alone for almost five hours after reviewing surveillance footage from the casino.
Police Question a Woman
The exchange between the suspect and the police officer was captured on recently released body cam footage, according to Oklahoma TV station KWTV.
Officer: “Ma’am stop right there. Give me your ID right quick.”
Officer: “Why are we leaving a baby in the car?”
Yeager: “I went to go find his dad.”
Officer: “Why are we leaving an infant in the car?”
Yeager: “I went to go find his dad.”
Officer: “This is stuff I put people in prison for. Why are we leaving an infant in the car?”
Yeager: “I was literally out…”
Officer: “We need to make sure this kid is okay.”
Yeager: “I’m a nurse.”
Officer: “Is the kid okay?”
Officer: “Did you gamble a little bit when you got here?”
Yeager: “Yeah…”
Yeager was lodged in the Rogers County jail after being charged. The matter is still pending in municipal court despite her posting bond.
Child welfare personnel took the child.
Police Chief Disapproves of Behavior
Catoosa Police Chief Ronnie Benight told KWTV, "The mom said she had given birth to the child early, it has some medical problem, has a feeding tube that hasn't been addressed, and the child had a filthy diaper when they got to the hospital."
"How irresponsible can you be? If you’ve got a problem, get help. Especially if it is to the point where you are endangering your children,” Benight added. “Somebody could break into your car and steal the car, car could quit running, the air conditioning could stop.”
AccuWeather reports that Catoosa's high on that day was 78 degrees.