A Pinellas County man left his young son alone in a running car for more than 30 minutes while he went on a job interview, Pinellas County deputies say.
- Deputies: Man locked son in vehicle while he went to job interview
- Joshua R. O'Connor arrested, charged with child neglect
- 4-year-old boy was not injured
According to the Sheriff's Office, 30-year-old Joshua R. O'Connor left his 4-year-old son alone in a locked car in Dunedin with the air conditioning running.
O'Connor was arrested Thursday night at his Clearwater home and was charged with one count of neglect of a child. The boy was not injured.
Deputies said they were called to O'Connor's home after a complaint about a child left unattended in a vehicle.
The boy's mother called the Sheriff's Office on Tuesday and said she called O'Connor's cell phone, and her son answered. Deputies said the child informed his mother he was alone and locked inside O'Connor's vehicle while his father was inside a business.
Deputies said the boy told his mother that the vehicle and air conditioner were running. The boy's mother stayed on the phone with him for more than 30 minutes until the cell phone battery died.
The mother tried to find her son and O'Connor, but it took several hours before she located them, they said.
During the investigation, deputies found out that O'Connor was attending a job interview and had locked his son in the car while he was in the building.
O'Connor was taken to the Pinellas County Jail without incident.