Rose's Blog

A weekend shopping trip gone wrong could result in criminal charges in Laclede county.  It comes after a couple left their two month old child in the parking lot at a Walmart in Lebanon.

Police say this weekend's heat and the chance that baby could have ended up in the wrong hands, has them thankful this case didn't have a different outcome. 

When Lebanon Police Officer Kacie Hatch hit the road on Friday, she knew she'd be enforcing the law but she had no idea she'd be thankful for luck.

"We were very lucky," Hatch says of her evening case.

She was called to the parking lot at Wal-Mart, when shoppers discovered an unusual item in a cart.

"I'm very thankful someone saw this happen," says Hatch.

What witnesses and security cameras caught was a couple loading their groceries in a vehicle and then leaving. Their two month old boy was still in the shopping cart. 20 minutes later Wal-Mart employees took a call from the parents.

"They gave us quite a few stories when they got here and then they admitted they forgot their child," says Hatch.

Among the excuses: a relative left the child, each parent thought the other had the baby, and their home was being burglarized so they had to rush away.

Police say none of those statements were true and that has other community members enraged.

"As a parent you take them along, you're responsible," says concerned citizen Rita Hillme. "They're a baby, innocent as can be. You have to watch over them."

Police officers agree, saying they're thankful Wal-Mart workers could care for the child until they could take the boy into protective custody.

 "It was heartbreaking," says Hatch. "As a parent, you don't just forget a child."

Police say this isn't the first time these parents have caused concern.  In the past, the Division of Family Services has taken custody of other children in the family.  Police have handed the case over to the Prosecuting Attorney for review and potential charges.