Deputies in Washington State continue to look for the father who allegedly abandoned two young children last weekend at 7 Cedars Casino parking lot. The kids are 5 months and 1.5 years old.
The father was identified as Travis Michael Parker, 38, of Sequim, Wash., according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
He parked in the lot at the Sequim gaming property at about 5 am last Saturday (June 12). He allegedly left the two children unattended in the car and then went inside the gaming property, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.
A short time later, he went back to the car and the children, still in car seats, were allegedly placed in the lot by their father. He then drove off.
A good Samaritan walking to the casino saw the children still in the car seats that were left in the lot. The passerby notified casino security staff. They called the children’s mother and arrangements were made to place the children with the mother.
No injuries were reported. The outdoor temperature last Saturday in Sequim ranged from 56 to 60 degrees, according to Climate-Data.org, an online weather site.
Earlier, Parker had called the children’s mother from the casino to come get the children because he said he had to go to work. But the mother told Parker to drive the children to her home. He never did. She wanted to meet the children at her home.
Children are allowed in the casino’s main lobby, the gift shop, Napoli’s Stone-Fired Cuisine, and The House of Seven Brothers. They are not permitted on the gaming floor.
Deputies were still searching for Parker late this week in connection with the incident.
Deputies Want to Arrest Father
Deputies request anyone with information on his whereabouts, call 360-417-2459 or leave an anonymous tip at clallam.net/sheriff.
Probable cause exists for the arrest of Travis Michael Parker for Family Abandonment (Class C Felony) and Leaving Children Unattended in a Motor Vehicle,” the sheriff’s Facebook post said. “Attempts to locate him have been unsuccessful.”
He is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing about 135 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Earlier Abandonment Charges at Casinos
Nationwide, parents have allegedly abandoned young children at casinos. In Las Vegas, Miriam Ramos allegedly left her three-year-old at the Wynn Las Vegas in December.
Earlier this year, the mother was discovered in California and extradited back to Nevada. She was charged with child abuse or neglect.
In an interview with KLAS, a Las Vegas TV station, Ramos recalled being with the girl at a restroom at the Wynn. But she claims she only left the restroom to put luggage in an Uber car. She allegedly asked an unnamed woman to watch the little girl for a matter of minutes. The rest of the events that day were a blur for Ramos.
Sometimes, parents leave their children unattended in cars so the adult can go into a casino to gamble.
In April, a Florida physician was charged with two counts of neglect after she allegedly left two children unsupervised in a locked car with the engine running. It was parked outside of Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Casino where she went to play poker for about an hour.
The children are 3 and 11 years old. They did not appear to be injured. High temperatures in Hollywood were about 91 degrees that day.
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