Couple Sentenced To Jail For Leaving Baby In Car While Gambling

A California is paying the price for gambling in the Thunder Valley Casino. The couple left their baby in the car back in April while they were gambling, and they were subsequently arrested and charged with child abuse.

Instead of taking the case to trial, the couple, Thuan Nguyen and Panfila Pho Phan, pleaded no contest to the felony charge. The plea deal also allows for the couple to spend less than the sixty days in jail that they were sentenced to if they meet certain conditions.

"They take full responsibility for what occurred," said Anthony Palik, the attorney for the couple. "They have no excuses. They hope everyone in the community can understand and forgive them." Originally, the couple were charged with willful child endangerment.

Parents leaving children in the car while they go inside a casino and gamble has become a problem all across the US. There have been at least ten documented cases in recent months, with the parents most of the time offering up no excuse for why they left their children in the car.

In the case of Nguyen and Phan, their six month old baby girl has been in the custody of her grandmother. The parents have visitation rights, and child services may allow the parents to gain custody again once their jail time is complete.

In most cases, according to one gambling addiction counselor who wished to remain anonymous, the parents go into the casino believing they will just put some money in the slot machines, and then spin the slots a couple of times before leaving. The parents then fall into the trap of losing track of time while their children sit in the car.

August 26, 2010
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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