Man Arrested for Leaving Son in Car

raf3, that reminds me of the 16-year-old who took her baby to Walmart to get the infant's ears pierced. That was done, and then the teenager said, OK, now do mine. They wouldn't pierce HER ears until she got permission from her mother, because she was a minor!

It's the usual age distortion...when a 17 year old commits a felony they are an "adult" when they are a perceived victim they are a "child". Same 17 year old, different agenda on the part of the person applying the appellation.

@moi -- I think that a more likely danger was criminal assault.

It's possible the son was mentally handicapped.

Leaving your teenage son alone in a car at 2:30 AM to go to a bar and drink is disgraceful parenting.

As for the legal matter: if the bar was in a bad neighborhood, a police confrontation of some sort would have been appropriate.

I agree with RD - "If you can drive a car on your own at 16, you should be allowed to sit in it without adult supervision."

not that it was nice or considerate for the father to do that to his teenage son, but I feel that an arrest is an overreaction. It's not like he was tied up in there against his will on a hot day in the sun with no water, unable to leave the car.

You're thinking of emancipation.

What is the term for legally cutting ties with your family and becoming financially responsible for yourself? You can do that at 16 where I live. I wish I could remember the term... Either way, when I was a teenager I preferred to stay in the car rather than going grocery shopping or whatever boring chore my parents needed to do. If you can drive a car on your own at 16, you should be allowed to sit in it without adult supervision.

I don't think so, Edward. A minor is a minor. You don't leave a minor sitting alone in the parking lot of a bar at 2:30 in the morning. OK, he's 17 -- almost an adult. But if a 17 year old is almost as responsible as an adult, than a 16 year old is pretty near close to being 17. Where do you draw the line? 15? 14? Some 13 year olds may be more responsible than some 30 year olds, but they are still a child. The law draws the line at 18.

he is 17 not 2 so the old man got arrested for something else than the kid in tha car

Yes, there is more to the story. The 17-year-old was left strapped in his car seat and all the windows rolled up.

Methinks there is more to the story.