Child left alone in vehicle lands father in jail, police say

A Lonoke man was arrested Wednesday in Jacksonville after he left his son alone in a vehicle, authorities said.

William L. Phillips, 43, is facing a preliminary charge of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

According to a Jacksonville Police Department report, an officer investigating a report of possible drug activity in the 100 block of Karen Cove noticed a "small male child asleep in a child carseat" in a black Mazda SUV parked in the driveway of a home.

The vehicle was off with its windows rolled up and no adults in it, the report noted. Officers later removed the child from the vehicle, finding him unbuckled and his hair "wet from sweating," according to the report.

Police found Phillips on the side of the home.

"When asked how long he had been at the residence and the child had been in the vehicle, Phillips stated about 20 minutes," police wrote in the report.

Phillips was arrested about 4 p.m. and had his bail set at $1,000. He was not listed as an inmate in the Pulaski County jail Thursday morning.

Upcoming Events