Father Charged With Leaving Toddler In Car Seat For 25 Hours

PASADENA (AP) — A father has been charged with felony child endangerment after allegedly leaving his 3-year-old son strapped in a car seat for more than a day in Southern California.

Authorities said Tuesday that 23-year-old Joe Louie Kurihara of West Covina had taken his son, Dylan, to a wedding in Pasadena on Saturday.

Officials say Kurihara put the child in a car seat after leaving the reception then drove to a nearby parking garage and left him in the car.

Early Sunday, the boy's mother called police saying her son was missing. A local man who had gotten a missing child alert electronically found him asleep in the car seat that night. The boy was dehydrated after the 25-hour ordeal but otherwise in good shape.

Besides child endangerment, Kurihara is charged with public intoxication and other misdemeanors.

Social workers took custody of Dylan and his 1-year-old sister, according to the Pasadena Star-News. The newspaper also reported their mother, Kristin Altamirano of West Covina, has been under investigation since September.

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