Father Charged After Leaving Small Children In Car While Grocery Shopping

CENTREVILLE, Md. (WJZ)— A father has been charged with child neglect after leaving his infant and 5-year-old in a running car while he went grocery shopping.

On Feb. 4, a Maryland State Trooper responded to the parking lot of Thompson Creek Mall, where he found a running and locked car with two young children inside-- one of which was in a car seat.

A witness says she was standing with the car for 10 minutes prior to the trooper's arrival.

A few minutes later, Daniel Nathan Lilly came out of the Food Lion and approached the vehicle with a cart full of groceries.  Lilly advised that the children's ages were 5 and less than 1 year old.

Investigation revealed that Lilly was shopping in the Food Lion with both children being left unattended for approximately 27 minutes.

Other witnesses stated that the 5-year-old was in the front seat playing with the steering wheel while the vehicle was running and unattended.

Lilly has been charged with two counts of both neglect of a minor and confined unattended child.