Thursday, 4:30 PM
Father forgets infant, drives off
By April Simpson, GLOBE STAFF
ATTLEBORO -- After shopping with his sister at a Burlington Coat Factory store Tuesday evening, 34-year-old Olwagbeminiyi Abiodun unloaded several items from his shopping cart and drove off.
But he left something behind. His one-year-old son was sitting in the child seat of the cart.
"He thought he had put the child in the child safety seat prior to unloading the cart, and in fact he had not," said Police Sergeant James Keane. "They drove off."
Abiodun, of Providence, and his sister drove between 15 and 20 minutes before they realized the child was not in the car and frantically called the store.
The child had already been brought in from the cold by an unidentified woman who saw the tot in the shopping cart.
Store employees told Abiodun that police had been called and they had his son.
Police and state officials are crediting the good Samaritan with preventing a tragedy. Anyone with information about the woman is encouraged to call Detective James Cote at 508-222-1212.
"I want to thank that person," Keane said. "It appears it was an unfortunate accident that could have been very tragic that ended with a happy ending," Keane said.
Nonetheless, Abiodun was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to 2 years in prison.
Police called the state Department of Social Services and interviewed shoppers and store employees before transporting the baby to Sturdy Memorial Hospital, Keane said. At the hospital, police and DSS workers determined that Abiodun was the child’s father.
DSS officials also met with Abiodun and his wife in their home before determining that the child could remain with his family, said agency spokeswoman Denise Monteiro.
"We didn’t feel, at this point, that there are any future safety risks," she said.
Monteiro said she was glad the child was returned to Abiodun and his wife safely, but she emphasized that "any parent that leaves their child for a second is in danger" of having their child abducted.
"You never leave your child, even for a minute," Monteiro said.
Shoppers at South Attleboro Square were stunned that a father could forget about his child.
While shopping with her 2-year-old grandson this afternoon, 59-year-old Karen Brown said forgetfulness is not an excuse for leaving a child behind.
"I don’t know how anyone could forget their baby, even if he’s in a hurry," said Brown, an Attleboro resident.
Simpson can be reached at asimpson@globe.com.
