Gentry man faces a child-endangerment charge

GENTRY -- A Gentry man faces a child-endangerment charge after his 4-year-old son was left in a hot vehicle outside his workplace, police said.

Thao Xiong, 33, of Gentry, was arrested Aug. 1 on a charge of endangering the welfare of a minor, a class D felony, said Gentry Police Chief Keith Smith.

Xiong had been working at McKee Foods at 555 McKee Drive in Gentry on July 24 as his child sat in the unlocked vehicle for about 40 minutes, Smith said.

The outside temperature was reported to be in the lower 90s, with a heat index reaching near 100 degrees.

Police said an employee found the boy outside the snack food plant around 6:20 p.m. that day and immediately took him inside, where he was assessed by a nurse.

An arrest was not made on scene based on limited information at the time, but after follow-up interviews, police had enough evidence to charge Xiong, Smith said.

The police chief noted that about 35 minutes passed from the time the child was removed from the vehicle and the arrival of authorities.

Xiong is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 11.