Police: Mom Left Toddler In Car While She Gambled At Horseshoe Casino
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's happened again. Another mother is arrested, accused of leaving her toddler son unattended in the car so she could gamble at one of the area casinos.
Amy Yensi explains how the child was found.
When they found the three-year-old boy, police say he was strapped into a car seat. The vehicle was parked in the garage and his mother was nowhere in sight.
Jade Germany made the wrong bet when she left her three-year-old son locked in a car while she played roulette at the Horseshoe Casino.
Police found the toddler in the parking garage Saturday afternoon thanks to a tip call. The 25-year-old was caught on surveillance cameras leaving him there.
"Once she came outside, she told officers that she went into the casino, that she needed money," said Det. Jeremy Silbert, Baltimore City Police Department.
The boy was sleeping in his car seat and found holding a juice box and an electronic tablet. The backseat window was slightly open.
Baltimore City police say the officer reached inside the cracked window, unlocked the vehicle and woke up the child.
A casino spokesperson tells WJZ it has a zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior and has permanently banned the suspect.
"People often don't understand how dissociative gambling can be," said Dr. Loreen Rugle, problem gambling expert.
The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency reports three cases of children left unattended in vehicles from January 2014 through February 2015.
Alicia Brown was charged with leaving her four-year-old son in a car for eight hours while she gambled at the Maryland Live! Casino in 2013.
Dr. Loreen Rugle says gambler's neglect is a serious issue.
"The brain gets hijacked just as it does when we're putting in toxic chemicals into our bodies. Gambling has the same internal effect," she said.
Germany is charged with child endangerment and child neglect.
Child Protective Services did take the boy to Johns Hopkins Children's Center. He is in good health.
Germany is also banned from all Caesars properties for life.
