Sheriff Warns Not To Leave Children in Car Seat After Arrest

Ocean Township: Sheriff Shaun Golden is sending out a warning to not leave children in cars unattended.  On Feb. 22, a woman from Wall Township was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, who was one month old, after sheriff’s officers at the Monmouth County Probation Office in Ocean Township suspected that a baby was left alone in a car seat while the car was parked with the engine running.

“This type of act is dangerous and irresponsible and could cause serious harm, or death, to a child,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “A child should never be left unattended in a car. I commend the sheriff officers for their quick thinking which helped ensure the child’s safety.”

Heather Drum, 29, initially parked in a fire zone to pay court fines at the Monmouth County Probation Office and was asked to move the vehicle. After doing so, she entered the building. Through security cameras, sheriff’s officers noticed the car was running with the window down and it appeared a baby was inside. When officers approached the vehicle, they found the one month old infant, who was left unattended for approximately four to five minutes. Drum was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and given a traffic citation for leaving a vehicle running while unattended. She was released on a summons.

The sheriff’s officers involved in the arrest included Sgt. Craig Ralston, S/O Tina Valle, S/O Randy Rodriguez and S/O Ben Rivera Estrada.         

For a downloadable version of this press release, click here:  News-Release-Sheriff-Warns-Not-to-Leave-Children-in-Car-After-Officers-Make-Arrest