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Parents allegedly left kids in car while gambling at Foxwoods

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 11, 2010 03:57 PM

By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent

The parents of a 1-year-old and a 10-year-old were arraigned today on child endangerment charges after police say they left the children alone in a car in a Foxwoods Resort Casino parking garage while they were inside gambling.

Edwine Louissaint, 33, and David Augustin, 34, are charged with risk of injury to a child, leaving a child unsupervised in a motor vehicle, and second-degree reckless endangerment in the Thursday incident, said Lieutenant Paul Vance, chief spokesman for the Connecticut State Police.

Augustin, who was arraigned in New London Superior Court today, is being held on $40,000 bond. Louissaint, also arraigned, was released after being held on $25,000 bond as long as she promised to reappear, court officials said.

Police gave a Dedham address for Louissaint and a Milton address for Augustin. There was no explanation for why the parents had separate addresses.

The case was continued until June 22, according to a court clerk. Neither defendant entered a plea, the clerk said.

The couple's children were turned over to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, police said.

Vance said video surveillance and gambling records showed Augustin and Louissaint were in the resort casino for well over an hour. State Police from Troop E in Montville were summoned to the Grand Pequot VIP garage after receiving a report that the children had been left in there, officials said.

"We have a very strict law relative to this sort of thing,'' Vance said. "People think they can leave their kids in hotel rooms or otherwise unattended. But that is a big no-no in Connecticut."