ST. GEORGE — A 22-year-old man was arrested on a felony child abuse charge Thursday after allegedly leaving his 16-month-old son home alone while he ran to do an errand at a repair shop.
While on patrol in LaVerkin, an officer spotted a man driving on 100 East whom he thought was involved in a welfare check earlier in the day, according to a probable cause statement filed by the LaVerkin City Police Department in support of the arrest.
The man appeared to be “extremely nervous,” the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement, noting that when the man saw the officer turn around, the man parked his car facing the wrong direction on the street and ran into a residence.
“I turned around at the top of the street and, when I drove by the residence, the male came out,” the officer wrote in the report. “I asked him why he ran into the house like that. He stated he needed to let the dogs in.”
The man identified himself as Levi B. Anderton and allegedly opened the door to his home for officers to follow him inside and see his four dogs, according to the statement.
“As he opened a door, he said his baby was asleep in there,” the officer stated. “I asked Levi who was watching the baby while he was gone and he stated he had the baby with him. He stated he got the baby out of the car and ran into the house with the baby in his arms.”
The officer told Anderton he could clearly see that he didn’t have a baby in his arms when he ran into the house, the report stated. Officers found there was no one else inside the home to care for the baby while Anderton was gone.
Anderton told police that the baby’s mother was at work and that he had left the baby home alone in the crib while he ran to a local car repair shop, according to the statement.
“He stated the baby can’t get out of the crib,” the officer wrote in the statement. “When asked if he thought leaving the baby home alone was a big deal, he stated he thought it was. He stated he has been arrested before for child abuse/neglect.”
The Division of Child and Family Services took custody of the baby, the report stated. Anderton was arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Anderton of third-degree felony abuse or neglect of a disabled child due to the 16-month-old being unable to care for his own personal safety.
Anderton was found indigent by the court Friday during his initial appearance before 5th District Judge G. Michael Westfall.
He was released from police custody on his own recognizance and is scheduled to make his next court appearance Aug. 28.
According to Utah Court documents, Anderton was also arrested in August 2016 and later convicted on a class C misdemeanor count of child abuse.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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This guy even looks stupid. Neighbors beware.
You know, he actually does. This is why I keep saying we need a spay and neuter program that actually works. You take the very dumbest ones and get them fixed before they can procreate.
I’m not even sure meth works as an excuse in this case. If it was meth I could understand such behavior. But I think just plain dumb is the best explanation here.
You know eliminating undesirables is the NAZI’s goal, that is what creating the master race is all about.
I’m guessing the fellow in this article doesn’t qualify as “the master race”?
lol
he shoulda been wearing a dunce cap for the mugshot
I find it pretty ironic that this individual is being charged with a felony for leaving his child alone at home , yet the child survived. These amazing LDS parents are killing their kids off left and right in hot cars and they get fundraisers and pages of praise. Both situations are disgusting individuals but if you are involved in the church, the tables are mighty different. This guy just probably just had a lapse in memory/judgement like the great LDS women we see so often. Neither parties deserve to have children and all should be disgusted in themselves.
Let’s be fair, arresting someone because something bad could happen or what if. No matter how irresponsible this was, Noone was actually harmed therefore no crime was actually committed.
Ok I’ll go there. You leave a baby in a crib and run an errand you get the book thrown at you. (I agree it’s bad, he’s terrible and neglectful) BUT….you leave a baby in a hot car and it dies- you get no charges and a community of support. Maybe he should have said he forgot the baby was at home. BUT…yes another but, he’s a shady fella and went to a car garage instead of church.
Bobs eugenics theory is actually in effect, have you read what is put in meat? And in other food? Unfortunately, this program of killing people with pesticides and cancer causing agents isn’t working as planned. Either is obamacare, another form of eugenics. If you can’t afford medical care, you die.
Bob is more into the spay and neuter program- let’s start with sex offenders and then as people are more comfortable with the idea we can create a vaccine that stops reproduction. Of course, the government won’t advertise it as such since we are not a communist country yet. It may be advertised as a flu shot with the “side effect” of infertility.