I-Team: Watch–child found in car while mom worked at hospital

CLEVELAND (WJW) — Video released to the FOX 8 I-Team shows what happened after police say a child was found alone in a car while her mother worked.

University Circle police say a single mother found herself in a tough spot many parents face. Still, the mother in this case has been charged with child endangering.

The incident happened last month. The police video shows a child run to her mother as the woman returns to her car, but mom has to do some explaining.

University Circle Police say Dayjanae Berry went to work at the VA Medical Center starting a 12-hour shift.

But, police say, she left her 4-year old daughter alone in a car. Other workers found the child.

“She’s been here over an hour and a half alone. And, you locked her in the car at 6 a.m. this morning,” an officer said to the mother.

The woman pointed toward a building and said “My window is right there…”

Officers showed the child a police dog as they investigated.

“You live with anybody?” an officer asked the mother. She shook her head to indicate, ‘no.’

“We understand she was in a tough spot, but at the same time, there was no child care for her daughter,” University Circle Lt. Steve Brady told us.

Police say they considered mom trying to hold a job, but they also had to consider the safety of that little girl.

“Any number of reasons is a problem for a 4 year-old to be in a car by themselves. In a parking garage, there’s a lot of people coming and going,” Lt. Brady added.

Back to the police video, an officer said “You understand the situation…right now?” Berry answered, “Yes. Absolutely.” And, the officer followed with, “This is very bad.”

Court records show Dayjanae Berry pleading not guilty.

A police report shows she recently had been disciplined at the VA Medical Center for hiding her daughter on a patient floor while she worked. And that had happened a number of times before.

We reached Berry by phone, and she had no comment.

At the scene, a relative picked up the child. University Circle police pointed out they did not arrest the mother until the child was gone.

“We just hope that she can get the help that she needs. We treated her with a lot of dignity and respect. We just hope that there are some programs she can get involved in,” Lt. Brady went on to say.

But, first, Berry could face up to 6 months in jail with a fine up to $1,000. However, police say she does not have anything like this on her record.

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