A man from Colorado was charged with child abuse after police said he left his 6-year-old son alone in a locked car on a hot day while he went shopping at a Walmart in New Mexico.
The Albuquerque Police Department shared body camera footage of the arrest of Michael Clohessy, 45. According to a criminal complaint, surveillance cameras showed Clohessy going into the Walmart alone on Monday, leaving his son sitting in the back seat of the car. The temperature outside was about 80 degrees.
When police found the boy, they said his face was red from the heat.
Man Claims He Didn’t Know It Was Illegal
Clohessy told officers he was inside the store for around 15 minutes, but police believe he was gone closer to 20 minutes.
In the bodycam video, a police officer asked Clohessy if he knew about a recent case in the area where a 1-year-old baby had died in a hot car the day before. Clohessy said he did, but added, “A 1-year-old’s a big difference,” suggesting his 6-year-old was less at risk. The officer replied, “A child’s a child,” to stress that any child left alone in a hot car is in danger.
Locked Car and Taken Keys Raise Concerns
Police also pointed out that Clohessy locked his son in the car and took the car keys with him. When asked about this, Clohessy said, “It’s Albuquerque,” implying he was worried about safety outside but still left the child locked inside.
The officer said this showed Clohessy knew there was some danger in the city but didn’t think twice about leaving his son alone in the car.
Legal Action and Release
Clohessy was arrested and charged with one count of open child abuse. He was held at Bernalillo County’s detention center but was released on Thursday.
A Colorado father is facing child abuse charges after leaving his 6-year-old son locked in a hot car for about 20 minutes in New Mexico. Police say this was dangerous and illegal, especially following a recent tragic case nearby.
