Puyallup dad left girl, 4, on side of highway as form of discipline, charges say
A Puyallup father is accused of leaving his 4-year-old daughter on the side of the highway in Pierce County.
Prosecutors the 34-year-old man with second-degree abandonment of a dependent person.
A plea of not guilty was entered on the man’s behalf during his arraignment Monday in the Pierce County Superior Court. He was released on personal recognizance, court documents show.
A Washington State Patrol trooper was driving westbound state Route 512 near Pioneer Avenue on Saturday when they saw a group of people gathered near a black Infiniti SUV. The people flagged the trooper down and gestured towards the car, according to charging documents.
Documents show that a woman said she saw a vehicle abruptly stop on the shoulder. The driver left the vehicle and took his child out of the back seat. He placed her near the fog line before he drove off.
People who saw the incident intervened to make sure the child was safe and to prevent her from going into the road, documents show. The man eventually returned and appeared agitated. Documents show that the people who intervened did not allow the child to leave until police arrived.
Troopers spoke to the father, and he said that his daughter had not been listening to him, documents show. He said she was being disruptive and loud, so he took her out of the car “as a form of discipline.” The man allegedly admitted to troopers it was a poor decision, and he was under a lot of stress since his wife was deployed in the military.
The child was not injured, and she told troopers they had just been at the movie theater, documents show.
The father was arrested, according to charging documents. He was initially reluctant to provide the mother’s contact information. He and troopers eventually coordinated with a family member to take the child.
The man is ordered to have no-contact with his daughter, court documents show.
Records show he does not have prior criminal convictions.
