Montgomery County Man Faces Felony Child Endangerment Charges After Leaving Baby In Car

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, PA — A Lansdale man is facing felony child endangerment charges after police allege that he left his baby in a running and unlocked vehicle in the parking lot of a local Best Buy store late last month, according to media reports and court records.

Abel Maldonado-Gomez, 54, has been charged with endangering the welfare of children, which is a third-degree felony, along with a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person, in connection with a June 21 incident in which police were contacted by witnesses at the Montgomery Township Best Buy store to say someone had left their infant in the parking lot unattended.

Magisterial District Court records show that Maldonado-Gomez was arraigned on the two charges on July 6 before Judge Denise Ashe.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for July 19 before Magisterial District Judge Andrea Hudak Duffy, at which time the judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to hold the defendant over for trial at Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

A report on North Penn Now says that when dispatched officers confronted Maldonado-Gomez, he allegedly told them that he had only run into the Best Buy for 10 minutes to drop off his computer for repair, but surveillance footage from the store showed that he was actually away from his infant for 21 minutes.

Maldonado-Gomez allegedly admitted to officers that he left the vehicle running with the keys in the ignition and all of the doors unlocked, and that the driver's side window was also open during the entire time he had left the child unattended, according to the North Penn Now report.

Records show that after his arraignment Maldonado-Gomez was released from custody on $2,500 unsecured bail.