Prosecutors to charge mother who left baby in car

FARMINGTON — Davis County prosecutors will file a class A misdemeanor negligent homicide charge against the mother of a 5-month-old baby who died in a sweltering hot car in Layton.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings confirmed to the Deseret News this afternoon they will pursue the charge against the mother after screening the case with his staff all afternoon.

"We feel it's appropriate based on the factual circumstances and based on the law," Rawlings said.

He declined to give further details, but said he had been in contact with the mother's defense counsel, and hoped they would be able to reach some kind of resolution in the case.

The death of Daniel Scott Hadley on June 17 created quite an outcry with a number of people who called the Davis County Attorney's Office saying they should either charge the mother or not. Rawlings said while they respectfully listened to the opinions, they did not have any impact on their decision to pursue a charge.

Officials estimate the temperature inside the car where Hadley was found was 120 degrees. The young boy was left in the car while his mother visited a friend. She came out a couple of hours later to find the boy unresponsive.

The mother will not be arrested but will be issued a summons to appear in court soon. She faces up to a year in jail if convicted of the charge.

---

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com