Saudi couple face charges in US for leaving baby in car

JEDDAH: A Saudi couple has been charged in the US for leaving their baby alone in the car with the window panes slightly open to visit a bar in Putnam County.

The child has been kept at the social service center.The couple was detained under the charges of child neglect, but managed to get bail on a surety of $5,000 each until June 22 — the date of prosecution. They will not get custody of the child until the investigation is completed.
The authorities decided first to move the couple to Putnam County Jail, but later they were released on bail.
The 30-year-old man and his wife left their baby in their parked car in Cookeville, Tennessee, and headed for a nearby bar. Police officer Chris Lynn got suspicious as the unoccupied car’s engine was on.
“I peeped inside the car through the partially opened windows and noticed a very small child who appeared to be asleep in the back seat. I tried to verify that the child was breathing and he seemed OK,” the officer was quoted as saying by local media.
Lynn said he made a computer check on the vehicle and found that the car was registered to a Saudi citizen. “When I asked him about his car, he indicated to the vehicle with the baby inside,” the officer said. He learned then that his wife was with him.
The incident comes at a time when Saudi embassies in western countries have warned students on scholarships against such practices that indicate child abuse or violence.
The most recent warning was launched by the Saudi embassy in Canada, calling on them to abide by the country’s laws and not violate them.
The embassy warned parents against abusing their children or treating them with cruelty either inside their houses or in public places because such practices or behavior is considered illegal in Canada.