SOMER TOWNSHIP, Ill. (WAND) - A Champaign County suspect is facing a child endangerment charge after deputies said he left his infant child in a car while fleeing authorities.
At about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, a Champaign County sheriff's deputy was preparing to stop a vehicle in the area of Leverett Road and Lincoln Avenue for a state vehicle code violation. The vehicle sped up to get distance from the deputy, authorities said, before the driver pulled into the parking lot of Road Ranger.
Deputies said the suspect ran through the business to try and avoid law enforcement. The pursuing deputy stayed with the vehicle because he was unsure if anyone else was in it. The suspect then returned to the vehicle and realized he left his 1-year-old infant in the back seat, a press release said.
Deputies said the suspect initially gave authorities a fake name. Authorities reported then checking the welfare on the infant and smelling a strong burnt cannabis odor in the vehicle. They said they discovered the infant had not been secured in a car seat.
Authorities recovered a semi-automatic handgun, several hundred dollars in cash and two additional loaded handgun magazines in the investigation, the release said. The suspect was arrested on charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and endangering the life/health of a child.
The mother of the child arrived on scene and was confrontational with deputies as they conducted their investigation, the press release said. Deputies said she was driving on a suspended license and had multiple warrants out for her arrest. They said she actively resisted when they tried to arrest her at the scene.
The mother is charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, driving with a suspended license and having multiple warrants. Deputies worked with her to make sure the infant was properly restrained in the car seat and to find a loved one she authorized to take the infant.
Both parents were taken to the Champaign County Jail.
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