Circumstance key in casino parking lot prosecutions

    Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to reduced charges of disorderly conduct after leaving their children in a casino parking lot. The men left children alone in cars while they gambled inside the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Bucks County. Prosecutors dropped the more serious charges of child endangerment after evidence indicated those charges would be difficult to prove in court. 

     

    Bucks County Deputy District Attorney Blake Jackman explains that these cases need to be scrutinized individually. “These cases really raise the question: Is bad parenting and stupidity criminal? Which is why we have to look at it on a case by case basis,” he said.In one of the cases sentenced yesterday, the child left was 12 years old, had a cell phone, and was alone for 30 minutes. In the other, the children were seven and 12 years old, and alone for 10 minutes. Jackman says other cases with more dire circumstances will be prosecuted accordingly.

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