Father arrested, fired from his job after leaving 2-month-old baby in hot car for hours
A man has been arrested and dismissed from his job after allegedly leaving his 2-month-old child in a hot car for hours.
The father named Antonio Almaraz—who worked as a sheriff's deputy in San Antonio, Texas—has been charged with injury to a child, abandoning a child with intent to return, and endangering a child, as confirmed by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office in a statement provided to PEOPLE Magazine.
The outlet reported that an investigation into the case started early this week, when hospital staff alerted the sheriff's office about what happened.
Almaraz brought his infant to a pedia check-up Monday morning and returned home "a little more than an hour later." PEOPLE reported that according to the statement, "that’s when, authorities allege, Almaraz turned off his car and went inside the home without the baby."
Investigators said his son was found unresponsive in the car three hours later and was immediately rushed to a local hospital.
Almaraz's child is still in critical condition.
"Given the amount of awareness in the community regarding leaving children unattended in vehicles, there is absolutely no valid excuse for this to have occurred," sheriff Javier Salazar said, adding that they are praying for the "best possible outcome" for the baby.
According to the statement, Almaraz "cannot appeal the probationary dismissal and is not eligible for rehire regardless of the outcome of the criminal case."
The sheriff's office said Almaraz is now in prison on a $80,000 (P4.6 million) bond. "It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf," PEOPLE reported.
