Two Indiana Police Officers Disciplined After Calling For Car To Be Towed With Boy, 3, Inside
(CBS) -- Two high-ranking officers with the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff's Department have been disciplined after the Sheriff says they left a three-year-old child in a car that was towed after a traffic stop, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.
Lake County Sheriff John Buncich says procedures weren't followed and it sickens him. Detective Nikolaos Zairis pulled over Vanessa Valadez of Merrillville and cited her for reckless driving. Sheriff's Lieutenant William Patterson, the supervisor at the time, arrived to assist.
For reasons not explained, the woman was taken away to the Lake County Jail with her three-year-old still in the back seat. It is unclear what she said while being arrested but the sheriff acknowledged neither officer seemed to notice the child.
The officers called for a tow and it was the tow truck driver who heard the child crying. The Northwest Indiana Times reports both officers have been suspended and the mother has hired a lawyer.