Father of Ontario boy who died in a hot car faces charges

The father of a three-year-old who died after being left in a hot car in Burlington, Ont. on May 23 has been charged.

Shaun Pennell, 37, faces one count of criminal negligence causing death and one count of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

Halton Regional Police said they received a call from a “hysterical male” around 5:30 p.m. who said that a toddler was not breathing and was inside an SUV, parked in a lot behind a Christian broadcasting centre.

When officers arrived, the boy was outside the vehicle and was unresponsive. Paramedics attempted to revive the child but were unsuccessful.

A coroner determined that the preliminary cause of death was hyperthermia. A news release issued last week by Halton police said the results “were consistent with the child being left in a vehicle exposed to high temperatures for an extended period of time.”

Paramedics said it appeared as though the boy was in the vehicle for at least several hours.

Pennell is scheduled to appear in court on June 27.

Just three days later, a man in nearby Hamilton was charged after leaving a child in a hot car to shop at Walmart. Passersby spotted the distressed seven-year-old boy in the car. He had activated the car’s alarm but couldn’t unlock the door.

A woman coached him and he managed to find the lock. The child was treated and cleared on scene. A 53-year-old man, who is not related to the boy, is charged with leaving a child unattended and will appear in court June 20.