Toddler Left Alone In Hotel Room While Columbia Mom, Laurel Dad Drink At Bar: Police

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A Maryland couple has been arrested after police say they left their 1-year-old child alone in a hotel room while they went to a nearby bar.

On June 16 around 9:33 p.m., Queen Anne's County sheriff's deputies were sent to the Hilton Garden Inn in Grasonville for a report of child neglect. Deputies spoke to a hotel employee who stated that two hotel guests, James Grant of Laurel, and Carrie Zauner of Columbia, had left their child unattended in their hotel room while they went to The Jetty Restaurant and Dock Bar, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies then went to The Jetty Restaurant and Dock Bar where they found Grant and Zauner at the bar drinking alcohol, according to a police report. Deputies asked the couple to step outside and discuss the issue. During the conversation, both admitted to leaving their 1-year-old child alone in the hotel room, the police report stated.

Grant and Zauner were escorted back to the hotel by sheriff's deputies where a welfare check was conducted. The child was found asleep in the room, unattended. A family member was contacted and arrived to take custody of the child. Grant and Zauner were arrested and each charged with reckless endangerment and neglect of a minor.

"It is beyond imagination that any parent would place their personal interests above the safety and wellbeing of their child. I commend hotel management for promptly alerting authorities and our deputies for responding swiftly and appropriately to ensure the child’s safety. The wellbeing of our most vulnerable will always remain a top priority," said Queen Anne's County Sheriff Gary Hofmann.