Watch CBS News

Del. Daycare Provider Charged After Allegedly Leaving 2 Children Inside Car While She Went Shopping

NEWARK, Del. (CBS) – Police in Delaware say they've arrested a daycare provider after she allegedly left two children unattended inside a car while she went shopping.

On Friday, Dec. 19th around 12:20 p.m., police responded to the parking lot of the Pencader Plaza Shopping Center at 100 Pencader Plaza Drive in Newark for reports of two kids left alone inside a vehicle, but before the troopers arrived, they were told that the vehicle had been towed to All Hooked Up Towing at 80 Aleph Drive.

At the tow lot, troopers spoke to a 32-year-old male employee who said he had repossessed the vehicle, a 2007 Dodge Aspen, from the Pencader Plaza shopping center parking lot. That employee also said that prior to towing the vehicle, he didn't notice the children in the car, which had dark tinted windows and several large boxes block the view into its rear. It was only upon arrival back at the tow yard when he said he heard children's voices coming from inside the car.

At that time, the employee reportedly found a five-year-old female and a one-year-old female in the third row seat of the car and contacted 911.

The daycare provider, 40-year-old Tonya F. Robinson, of Bear, had also called 911 when she found her car missing. Robinson was arrested and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Robinson was released on $4,000 unsecured bail.

The children, who were not injured during the ordeal, were turned over to a second daycare provider who took them back to the residential daycare and returned them to their parents.

You may also be interested in these stories:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.