Gambler Arrested After Leaving Child in Car at Casino

Sep 11, 2014 11:45 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

A Mississippi father has been accused of child neglect after authorities said he left his 1-year-old in the car while he gambled for more than an hour in a casino.

The child was uninjured and found late Tuesday afternoon behind the steering wheel of the vehicle, according to Reuters.

The vehicle was left running with the keys in the ignition in the parking lot of the Tunica casino, according to Reuters, citing the arrest report.

Marin Bass, 45, of Sarah, Miss, was later released on $500 bond.

A sign in the casino's car park tells gamblers not to leave children in the car or the police will be called, according to the Daily Mail.

The sign says: "Children or vulnerable adults must not be left unattended in vehicles. Violations may result in notification to the Department of Human Services and or law enforcement authorities."

Similar incidents have happened over the last couple of weeks in the U.S., some of which had dire results.

Justin Ross Harris, 33, was indicted for murder earlier this month after leaving his 22-month-old son strapped into a car seat on a day when the outdoor temperature reached more than 90 F.

Harris said he forgot to drop his son off at daycare center, but prosecutors said he intentionally killed the boy to try getting rid of the responsibility of fatherhood, according to Reuters.

Shanesha Taylor, 35, agreed to take a parenting class and regained custody of her two children in Arizona on Aug. 28 after she left them in a car that reached at least 100 degrees F inside while she went on a job interview.

The children were rescued, according to Reuters.

Seven Florida children have died since 2013 after being left in hot cars, often by parents who claimed they simply forgot they were inside the vehicle, said the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The agency has issued a reminder to all parents around the U.S. to "Look Before You Lock."

Temperatures inside vehicles can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes and become especially dangerous for children whose body temperatures rise five times faster than adults.

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