"A Man Entrusts His 7-Year-Old Granddaughter to a Homeless Person Saying, 'I Have to Go to a Bar'"

Gave $20 to a Homeless Person to Watch Child for the First Time
Left Child and Drank Alcohol... Charged with Serious Child Abuse Crime

A man in his 50s in the United States was arrested on charges of child abuse after giving money to a female homeless stranger and entrusting her with his 7-year-old granddaughter.

According to foreign media including the New York Post on the 9th (local time), Jason Warren (54), who lives in California, paid $20 to Lauren Zoff (34), a homeless woman he met for the first time while intoxicated, asking her to take care of his 7-year-old granddaughter. Zoff stated that Warren asked her to take the granddaughter to a nearby secondhand store to buy some necessary items such as shorts.

After entrusting his granddaughter, Warren went to a bar and drank for about four hours. He told local media, "When I saw Zoff, she seemed like a decent person, so I trusted her as if she were my sister or cousin." According to the police, the child's aunt, who has custody of the granddaughter, had asked Warren to look after the child while she went to work.

The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

After leaving the secondhand store, Zoff saw that Warren was heavily intoxicated and moved to another location with the child. She said, "Mr. Warren became scary when drunk. He was like a completely different person," and added, "I stayed with the granddaughter until his condition improved." Zoff testified that she took the child to a campsite, got some food, and played with a dog.

Later that evening, Warren claimed his granddaughter had been kidnapped and asked for help from those around him, prompting the police to respond. The police deployed helicopters and drones to search for the child. Hearing the police's public announcements while searching, Zoff returned to the bar near where Warren was and handed the granddaughter over to the police.

Warren was arrested and charged with felony child abuse and was held at the Sacramento County Jail. He was released on the 8th after posting bail of $75,000 (approximately 102.5 million KRW).