Woman charged after leaving baby in car during shift at MSP Airport

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 27-year-old woman was charged after she left her baby in her car during her shift at MSP Airport last month.

According to the criminal complaint, after midnight on Sept. 15, airport police were notified that there was an infant left in a parked car between two dumpsters on airport property. Officers found the car and saw a six-month-old baby strapped in a car seat and completely covered with a blanket. All of the car windows were up.

Officers learned the owner of the car and mother of the child, Juanita Shingles, was an employee at the airport. According to the complaint, Shingles came to the scene and told officers she had knowingly left her child in the car so she could work her eight-hour shift. Initially she told officers her babysitter canceled, but eventually she admitted that she was just late for work and didn't have time to bring the child to the sitter.

Shingles said she left the child unattended at about 11:45 p.m. and "hoped to bring the child to the sitter around 1 a.m. once she had handled some obligations at work."

She said she parked her car near the dumpsters so no one would see the child and so she could check on the child.

Shingles is charged with one count of Child Endangerment and one count of Contributes to Need for Child Protection. Ramsey County Child Protection became involved to ensure the safety of the child.