A husband and wife from Arizona were arrested and charged with child neglect and endangerment after allegedly deserting their 2-year-old son in order to play Pokemon Go.
Advertisement
A neighbor called 911 when the boy was spotted outside crying about 10:30 p.m. on July 28. The house was unlocked and when deputies contacted Brent Daley to say they had found his son abandoned outside, he allegedly replied, “Whatever”, and hung up the phone on deputies.
A Pinal County couple faces child abuse charges after deputies say they abandoned their toddler at home to play Pokemon Go.
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said Brent and Brianne Daley were arrested last week at their San Tan Valley home. She said that nobody was home and the child appeared to have been abandoned. The child was barefoot with only a diaper and a T-shirt on. They confirmed by family pictures that the child lived at the residence.
While they waited they called a number the found inside and a man answered.
The office said Monday that the couple initially told deputies they went to buy gas but then said they’d gone in search of virtual Pokemon creatures for about 90 minutes.
Deputies say the child was “red faced, sweaty and dirty”.
The deputies had been at the home for nearly an hour by the time the couple returned home.
They’re accused of child neglect and child endangerment.
They told officers they went to fill their vehicle with gas and drove around the neighborhood a few times playing the game. “They said they were driving around San Tan Valley, stopping at parks and other places to interact with the game”.
Advertisement
The Daleys returned an hour after police arrived and were taken into custody.
