March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 45 F

Judge gives woman 5 days in jail for leaving toddler unattended while gambling

maryland liveA Baltimore woman who left her child unattended in a vehicle for eight hours while she gambled at Maryland Live! Casino in December pleaded guilty to the top count of Reckless Endangerment this afternoon, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.

Alicia Brown, 25, entered the plea before Judge Paul A. Hackner in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis. The State asked Judge Hackner to incarcerate Ms. Brown. He sentenced her to three years, suspending all but five days in jail, to begin today. Ms. Brown was placed on supervised probation for three years. She was ordered to continue general counseling and to not enter any casino or gaming facility.

“Leaving a young child unattended in a vehicle is not only dangerous, it’s illegal. Even a quick run into a convenience store can result in tragic consequences, such as injury, car theft or abduction,” Leitess said. “This case is particularly disturbing as Ms. Brown left her child unattended for not minutes, but hours. We are fortunate this case did not have a more tragic outcome.”

On December 31, 2013 Anne Arundel County police responded to a parking garage for Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover for a report of a child left unattended in a vehicle. Officers spoke with a security manager, who stated a 4-year-old girl was discovered inside a white GMC Terrain by a security officer. The officer discovered the child alone in the vehicle and crying. The child told the officer that her mother told her she would be right back and left her alone. The child was removed from the GMC and placed in a Maryland Live! Casino security vehicle to stay warm until fire personnel arrived.

Security footage showed the GMC entering the garage at about 10 a.m. The child was discovered at 6:31 p.m. There was no food or drink left for the girl or any means to stay warm. The vehicle was not running and keys were not found inside it. When asked, the girl told the officer she was not OK. She had also urinated herself in the vehicle.

Brown arrived on scene and identified herself as the child’s mother. She was placed under arrest.

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