Two parents have been charged with child cruelty after leaving their two-year-old daughter in a locked car in below-freezing weather while they went skiing at a resort in Vermont where they both work.
Cory Ahern, 29, and Katelyn Brent, 21, of Hampton, New York, are each facing a charge of cruelty to a child in Rutland County Superior criminal court. The misdemeanor offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail and/or a $500 fine.
Killington police allege that the couple left a 2-year-old girl inside a car at a Killington Resort parking lot while they skied sometime between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 8.
Police began investigating that afternoon after receiving a tip, according to court documents, which describe Ahern and Brent as employees of the resort.
In a sworn statement, Officer Michael Hoffman said he conducted a traffic stop on the couple as Ahern was driving in Killington around 4 p.m. that day. Hoffman said he saw the child sleeping in a car seat.
The investigator said Brent initially denied leaving the toddler alone in the car but eventually admitted to it. According to the police affidavit, Brent said she left Ahern’s cell phone in the car so they could “monitor” the child while they skied and returned every 10-15 minutes to make sure she was warm, had a drink, and was still asleep.
Police said Killington resort management told them that Brent and Ahern’s employee ski passes were scanned 10 times together that day and Ahern’s was scanned once alone. Police did not share how often or at what times the passes were scanned.
Brent also pleaded not guilty to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol. The affidavit shows that during the traffic stop, Hoffman suspected she had been drinking. And a breathalyzer test registered a blood alcohol content of 0.119%, beyond the 0.08% threshold for driving under the influence.
Both Ahern and Brent have been released on conditions, according to court records.
Killington police said they alerted the Vermont Department for Children and Families as well as Child Protective Services in New York. It was unclear where the child lives or who is taking care of her; cases involving minors are sealed from public access.
The Killington Police Department shared a news update about the arrests on Facebook, which sparked outrage from people across the social media platform.
A Facebook commenter, Janeen Anne Jarvis-Lunna, wrote on the police department’s post.
“They should be ashamed of themselves!!! Wonder how many times they have put their child in danger. This just happened to be the time they were caught. How many times was this child left in the vehicle while the parents chose to put him in many dangerous situations so they could have fun! Shame on them.”
