An Arizona father has been arrested after allegedly leaving his four young children in a hot car for nearly an hour while he shopped at an adult store. The temperature inside the vehicle reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit, police said.
Ascencio Largo, 38, left his children—aged 2, 3, 4, and 7—alone in the car with the engine off and windows rolled up outside “The Adult Shoppe” in Phoenix on Thursday. A passerby noticed the children and called 911, according to court documents.
Police officers arrived and rescued the children, who were showing signs of heat distress including red skin and sweating. They were taken to hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. Sergeant Rob Schere of Phoenix Police described the incident as “the call that all officers hate to get.”
When Largo left the shop, he initially denied the car was his, shaking his head before walking towards it. He then said “Oh, s***” upon seeing the police and fire trucks surrounding the vehicle. Police allege Largo was intoxicated at the time of his arrest.
Largo appeared in court on Friday, where bail was set at $5,000. The judge ordered him to stay away from his children, who are now with their mother. A Maricopa County prosecutor stated the children were “in imminent danger of death.”
Largo’s attorney, Josh Cooner, has been contacted for comment. The judge noted that the alleged actions “could have resulted in the kind of story that gets picked up on international news wires.”
