Sacramento-area man accused of leaving granddaughter with homeless person while he went to bar
SACRAMENTO COUNTY – A man has been arrested on suspicion of child endangerment after he allegedly left his young granddaughter with a homeless person so he could go into a bar.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office says they first learned of the situation a little before 8 p.m. Monday.
Deputies say a passerby called 911 to report that a man was asking for help near Auburn Boulevard and Hemlock Street in finding his seven-year-old daughter – saying that the girl was kidnapped for human trafficking.
Once deputies got to the scene, they found the man in the parking lot of a bar in the area. He was highly intoxicated, deputies say.
The man, identified as 54-year-old Jason Warren, then told deputies what really happened: He had given an unknown homeless woman $20 to watch his granddaughter about four hours earlier.
Deputies corroborated the story with surveillance video, which indeed showed the woman leaving with Warren's granddaughter.
A Sacramento County Sheriff's helicopter, drones, and K9 units were deployed to search for the girl. About a half-hour into the search, deputies say the woman heard the announcements from the helicopter and came back to the parking lot with the girl.
The woman also corroborated the story, telling deputies that he visibly intoxicated Warren had given her some cash to take the girl to a thrift store. The woman decided to take the girl back to her camp to get her some food, deputies say, thinking that Warren could not take care of the child.
Deputies also spoke with the girl, the sheriff's office says, and she also corroborated the whole story.
Warren was arrested and is now facing felony child endangerment, among other charges. The sheriff's office noted that the child's aunt has full custody, but had asked Warren to watch the girl because she had to go to work.
