Man gets 30 days for leaving tot in car

David James Farnham, the father who left his 2-year-old son locked in a car last summer to watch a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight," has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Farnham, 23, earlier pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor, as part of a plea bargain. Third District Judge Judith Atherton also put Farnham on probation for 36 months and imposed a long list of probation conditions including continuing mental health treatment, taking all necessary medications and not discontinuing any medication unless it is clinically approved. He also has no unsupervised contact with his son until the court decides otherwise.

The tot was buckled into a car seat in the locked car while Farnham was in the Century 16 Theaters, 125 E. 3300 South. Farnham had rolled up the windows "so the child would not be taken out," according to police records.

Other moviegoers spotted the child at 1:22 a.m. and called police, who got the child out and found the temperature inside the vehicle was 87 degrees. The boy was hot, sweaty and thirsty, but was otherwise fine and was first taken to the Christmas Box House. Later, the child was released to his mother.

— Linda Thomson