Father arrested for leaving 2-year-old in car

by Jolene Toves

Guam - It's another case about a child being left in a car alone - thankfully bystanders heard the toddler crying, got her out of the vehicle and called the cops.

It may not always be reported but occasionally a parent may leave a child in a car when making a brief stop into a grocery store or gas station. So what exactly is on the books? GPD's Lieutenant Ron Taitano says the law is very specific, telling KUAM News, "It identifies that children 12 years of age can be responsible for children 5 or younger however there are some conditions that need to be in place...one the vehicle cannot be running so the vehicle's engine must be turned off secondly it cannot be for a period in excess of fifteen minutes and lastly it cannot be in any situation that would pose a danger or risk to the juveniles."

The law was enacted to protect children from becoming victims of tragedy. It only takes a few minutes for a child's safety to be at stake for example car crashes, carjackings, kidnappings, and exposure to the elements are all possibilities. "As you have seen from an arrest recently that we made where the father had left his child unattended its really up to the parents to be safe with their children," he said.

Just this past Sunday GPD responded to a call of a 2-year-old child left in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Asan Flea Market. The car windows were rolled down about two inches. According to court documents the child was sweating, screaming and only in diapers. Thankfully bystanders heard the baby's cry and removed her from the vehicle. When police arrived, the child's parents where located. Initially they detained both the mother and the father. The child's father, Terciano Nikonas, was since been charged with child abuse as a 3rd degree felony, and leaving a child unattended or unsupervised in motor vehicle as a violation.

Meanwhile Child Protective Services took custody of the child. Lt. Taitano reminds says its incidences like these that should be an eye opener for the community, saying, "It's not boiling down to jail time the fines, it's the loss or injury to the child that alone should be enough to scare them and put them in a position of how valuable how important is your child."