Columbia man charged with child endangerment for leaving kids in hot car
Madison Stuerman
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia man has been charged after he was accused of leaving two children in a hot car.
Shaun Rottman was charged with two counts of first-degree child endangerment, creating a substantial risk.
Court documents state that officers were dispatched for a lockout at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday to a redacted location. Dispatch notes said multiple kids were sweating and crying after they were left unattended in a hot car.
Police said they made contact with Shaun Rottman, who allegedly admitted to leaving both children in the car to use the bathroom and that he was inside the building for about 30 minutes.
Documents state Rottman because aware of the children being in distress after the fire department contacted him.
Police said it was reported to be 82 degrees outside while the car was off and the windows were rolled up. Rottman allegedly told officers one of the children had autism and that he knew the child needed “a higher degree of care than the average child,” according to documents.
Officers said Rottman told them it was not normal for him to leave the child unattended for extended periods of time.
Online records show that he posted bond before the jail received the signed warrant, with a bond amount set by the on-call judge. His bond was set at $5,000.