Father who forgot his little son in shopping cart faces trial

A one-year-old boy was left sitting in a shopping cart outside a clothing store after his father drove away without realizing the child was not in his vehicle, police said.

Photo: Father who forgot his little son in shopping cart faces trial

The boy's father, Olwagbeminiyi Abiodun, 34, was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment of a child after the incident at the Burlington Coat Factory store Tuesday night.

"He thought he had put the child in the child safety seat prior to unloading the cart, and in fact he had not," police Sergeant James Keane said. "They drove off."

A woman saw the child in the cart and brought him into the store, where employees called police, detective James Cote said. When the father realized the child was not with him, he frantically called the store, authorities told the AP.

"It was determined the child could have been outside anywhere up to 15 minutes unattended," Cote said. "He was properly clothed. Fortunately, the weather wasn't too cold, but it was dark. Fortunately, there was a good samitarian who located the child and brought him into the store."

Officials from the state Department of Social Services, who were called by police, met with Abiodun and his wife in their home before determining the child could remain with his family, agency spokeswoman Denise Monteiro.

"We didn't feel, at this point, that there are any future safety risks," she said.

A person at the Abiodun residence in Providence, Rhode Island, hung up without comment when contacted by The Boston Globe.