Child Left Unattended on Side of I-80 in Freezing Cold: Cops

JOLIET, IL — An Alsip man was charged with leaving a child on the side of Interstate 80 in the freezing cold.

Simon Lopez, 38, allegedly left the child unattended on the side of I-80 back on Feb. 3. Lopez was initially issued a ticket but a criminal case was filed against him in Will County court on Wednesday.

Lopez, an Alsip resident, left the child on I-80 just west of Interstate 55 about 4:15 p.m., according to court records. The low temperature that day was 16 degrees, the website Accuweather said, and the high was just 31.

A state trooper cited Lopez back in February and the state police brought the criminal charge against him. Trooper DeAnn Falat, the spokeswoman for the state police’s District 5, failed to respond to email and voicemail messages left about Lopez’s case.

Lopez, who formerly lived in Joliet, appeared in court Wednesday. He was given until May 12 to find a lawyer.

Simon Lopez | image via Will County Sheriff's Department