By Shawntaye Hopkins
shopkins@herald-leader.com
A Bed, Bath & Beyond manager accused of refusing to help a Danville couple trying to call police about a child they found locked in a hot van in the parking lot pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
Elizabeth A. Miller, 34, of Richmond, waived formal arraignment in Fayette District Court Thursday afternoon and was not present when her lawyer entered the plea on her behalf. She is charged with failing to report child dependency, neglect or abuse.
Miller was charged days after a couple found a toddler inside a van in the parking lot of the housewares store on Nicholasville Road.
On Sept. 5, Randy and Nancy Belcher said they noticed there was a boy in the van parked next to their vehicle. The boy did not respond to knocks on the van’s windows.
The Belchers thought the child’s parent was probably in Bed Bath & Beyond. They went into the store and were referred to Miller, who told the Belchers it was against store policy to get involved with anything happening in the store’s parking lot, Randy Belcher says. The Belchers say Miller would not let them use the phone or make an announcement over the store’s public-address system to alert the mother or parent that the child was in distress. A corporate spokesman has denied having such a store policy.
The Belchers then returned to their vehicle, got a cell phone and called police. Others in the parking lot also called police.
Police removed Ryan Patel, 3, from the van by breaking the window. He was treated at the scene for dehydration.
His mother, Tanuja Patel, was arrested and charged with first-degree wanton endangerment. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Miller is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. Oct. 15 for a pretrial conference.
- For background read: Store clerk charged with failing to help child locked in van
I can’t believe she didn’t even have the guts to show up in court, much less plead NOT guilty. How spineless. I hope she gets the maximum sentence.
It’s amazing to me how people want to vilify the manager for “not doing anything” when in my opinion, the couple wasted PRECIOUS time going into the store to try and have the parent paged. Then, they continued to stay in the store and argue with the manager to use the phone - meanwhile the child REMAINED in the hot car. Why didn’t they just call the police to begin with? The crime here is the fact that that mother left her child in the car so she could go shopping.
Did you ever think that maybe the couple had to park far away in the parking lot and it was closer to go inside the store and try to find help? Not everyone has a cell phone attached to them every minute of the day. I do not know about you, but I do not think I am strong enough to break through a car window with my bare hand, as I am sure many people are not. I agree that the mother who left the child in the car in the first place is at fault, but anyone who thinks the store manager is not somewhat responsible is blind. That was not even a store policy. I am sure if somehow your child was in this situation that you would be upset and place some blame on the store manager as well.
It was reported that the couple who found the child did indeed have a cell phone in their car. It sounds to me that they went into Bed Bath and Beyond to confront the parent. If they had this attitude when they went in, it is possible that it freaked everyone out including the manager. Perhaps she was seriously concerned about a fight/confrontation in the store and trying to figure out how to deal with the situation in the parking lot and protect her employees at the same time. It is easy to say, “I woulda done this” or “I woulda done that” but in general, people are afraid and spineless and talk a lot of BS.
Give the woman a break… I wouldn’t be surprised if there is an unwritten policy to stay out of affairs in the parking lot. It makes sense. The couple should have just gotten their cell phone and called. And I definitely would NOT have agreed to a PA announcement in the store… perhaps I would have agreed to phoning the police, but I don’t know what happened in the store. So, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Last, I would not have shown up at the arraignment either if I didn’t have to… would you want video of you on TV/internet? I’m sure some TV stations showed up…
Total BS. Bed Bath & Beyond like many other retailers who share parking lots do have in place policies regarding activities in their parking lots. This is due to liability matters. Care custody and control. Who is liable for what? That is why this manager stated the company policy. Do I agree, NO. If this had been a family member or the child of this employee things would be different. She would have broken store policy to insure the saftey of a loved one. This other child should have been afforded the same treatment.
A note to those parents who are stupid enough to leave their children in vehicles unattended. BEWARE! Others will notice this and chances are you will be caught. If you love your child at all never let this happen.
Regarding the statement from BED BATH & BEYOND. Dont let these people fool you. This is policy and is preached to employees constantly in order to avoid admitting or participating in an act of liability. The store should be fined as well. If you do buisness in Kentucky, you follow our laws, bottom line.
The couple, who had a cell phone in their car, parked next to the car with the child. They did not want to get involved, so they wasted time going into the store to try and have the store take care of it instead. The manager, who had witnessed none of what the couple was telling her, correctly refused to become involved. The couple, who were the only witnesses to the child being in the car, finally went back to their car and used their own phone to call the police. Why didn’t the couple just call the police to begin with instead of wasting time going into the store?
The officer who took the call is biased because he is related to a little boy who died while left in a hot car. The officer needs to realize the only person responsible for that little boy being in a hot car is the person who put him there. The manager has done nothing wrong and it is a travesty that she is being charged.