Arizona couple abandons child to play Pokemon Go

Pinal County, Ariz. — An Arizona couple was arrested after police say they left their 2-year-old son home alone in order to go play Pokemon Go in nearby San Tan Valley, Arizona neighborhoods.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said Brent and Brianne Daley were arrested for child endangerment and neglect on July 28^th after a neighbor called police reporting a 2-year-old boy was screaming and crying while attempting to get into the Daley’s residence at around 10:30 p.m. The child was barefoot with only a diaper and t-shirt on.

Deputies said no one was found inside the house, but confirmed by family pictures in the residence that the child lived in the home. Deputies were able find a phone number and contact the father of the boy, Brent Daley, on his cell phone. When they called and told him his child was found abandoned, Daley replied, “Whatever”, and hung up the phone.

After almost an hour, police said the couple finally returned to the house. They told deputies they left the boy sleeping and went out to get gas. They later admitted they were driving around the valley playing Pokemon Go on their smartphones.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “Our agency and many other law enforcement agencies have been warning people about personal safety issues while playing this interactive smartphone game, but we never would have imagined that parents would abandon a child to play Pokemon Go. This goes beyond comprehension.”

The couple was booked into jail for the felony charges. The State Department of Child Services took custody of the boy.