Charge may be dismissed against mother

A misdemeanor charge of child neglect is to be dismissed against a 31-year-old mother who admitted leaving her baby locked alone in a parked car last summer as long as she breaks no laws for the next 90 days.

Anna Siudzik of Stateline pleaded guilty Wednesday in East Fork Justice Court to contributing to the delinquency or neglect of a minor, admitting she left her then 11-month-old son locked in the car while she used a department store rest room. The temperature in the vehicle reached 105-108 degrees according to paramedics who examined the child, but the baby was unharmed.

The incident occurred Aug. 4 when the outdoor temperature hovered around 90 degrees.

A bystander called deputies when she noticed the baby locked in the vehicle. Siudzik claimed she was gone 5 minutes.

Lawyer Tod Young said Wednesday Siudzik stopped to use the rest room and left the baby in the car. He said the window was open slightly.

"She had her little boy in the car and she had to go to the bathroom. It was a hot day, when she came back out of the store, deputies had been summoned," Young said. "She is a young mother who made a mistake."

Young said his client completed a parenting class. In an agreement with the district attorney's office, if she violates no laws for the next three months, the charge will be dismissed.

Young said his client is a native of Poland and a conviction could jeopardize her status in the United States.

"She is a good mother," Young said.

East Fork Justice Tom Perkins set sentencing for March 9 when the charge may be dismissed.