BAYTOWN, Texas – A Baytown father appeared emotional in court Friday after he was charged with endangering a child. Police said Gene Curry, Jr., 24 left his 18-month-old daughter in a hot car outside a Kroger grocery store.
“The temperature reads inside the closed vehicle was 112.1 degrees,” said the prosecutor.
Curry was caught on surveillance cameras going into the store on North Alexander in Baytown, investigators said.
According to police, Curry’s daughter was inside his car, in a car seat, with two blankets on top of her while he went into the store for 18 minutes.
Curry initially told investigators he was inside the store for 10 minutes, but surveillance video proved he was inside longer.
“(They) asked him how long he had been in the store and he said, 'Not long,'” the prosecutor said.
Police said someone called 911 and firefighters unlocked the car and rescued the girl.
“At that time, they observed a white male running from the store, asking where his child was,” the prosecutor said.
Firefighters treated the baby, who was crying, hot and very sweaty, they said.
Prosecutors said the father has partial custody of his two children. The judge ordered that he have supervised visits with them until a court appearance.
Curry's bond was set at $1,000.