Photo credit: Fox 2 News Detroit
A 25-year-old Detroit man was released from jail yesterday after being arrested on Monday, Aug. 29, for leaving his two children inside a car while he gambled at MotorCity Casino. After being ticketed and released, Montez D’Angelo Sistrunk is now facing two counts of second-degree child abuse, and has a $75,000 bond with a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 13.
A casino employee noticed the two children were locked inside the 2011 Ford Focus, and took immediate action by breaking the back window of the vehicle. The children were unharmed and safe, however the temperature was 84 degrees and no windows were left cracked open for air.
According to police, they were contacted around 11:30 a.m. about the children being left unattended in a vehicle. By the time police arrived, the children were safe inside a nearby casino office. After a brief search of the casino, authorities found the father gambling.
According to the Detroit Free Press the MotorCity Casino spokesperson Jacci Woods stressed that “It’s always a great concern when you have children left in a car,” she said. “Heat is always a danger. At that age, 5 months old and a 2-year-old, kids being left unattended, especially when we have those temperatures, is a great concern. The bigger picture is that these two children were left alone and unattended.”
The MotorCity Casino issued the following statement yesterday:
“A MotorCity Casino employee noticed the children alone inside the car in our covered parking structure and immediately reported it. We then promptly contacted DPD and took steps to extricate the children from the car and ensure their safety. The children are fine and the matter is now being handled by law enforcement.”
Child Protective Services has launched an investigation.
