Vermont parents charged with leaving child in car while they went skiing
Two Vermont parents have been charged after they allegedly left their child in the backseat of their car while they went on multiple ski runs, the Killington Police Department said. Both parents were charged with cruelty to a child, and one is charged with driving under the influence.
Police said they responded to a parking lot inside Vermont's Killington Resort on February 8 after a passerby reported an unattended child left alone in a parked car. Police said they found the car traveling down East Mountain Road and pulled over Katelynn Brent, 21, and Cory Ahern, 29.
Police said Brent, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested after an officer suspected she was driving while drunk. During processing, Brent allegedly blew a 0.101 on a breathalyzer test, over the legal limit of .08. At the time of her arrest, the child in question was located in the backseat of the car. Brent allegedly denied that she or Ahern had left the child unattended in the vehicle, and was released with a citation.
As the investigation continued, police said they learned Brent and Ahern were employees at the resort and held ski lift passes. Records showed they accessed the lift gate 10 times on February 8, police said.
Brent and Ahern eventually admitted to leaving the child alone — but said they checked on them in between each ski run — police said. Brent was charged with driving under the influence and cruelty to a child; Ahern was also charged with cruelty to a child.
Police say they have shared their findings with the Vermont Department of Children and Families and the New York State Department of Child Protective Services.
If convicted, both parents could face up to 2 years in prison and a $500 fine on the cruelty to a child charge, according to Vermont legislation.
