A father in New Mexico was arrested after he allegedly left his 20-month-old twins in a locked car for about two and a half hours as he went to a bar, which he refused to leave because “people were dancing with him.”
Stephan Natseway was taken into custody on Saturday, August 30, and was charged with two counts of child abuse not resulting in great bodily harm, two counts of child abandonment not resulting in great bodily harm and two counts of open child abuse.
Officers with the Albuquerque Police Department responded to Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon around 1:34 a.m. on August 30 after a security guard reported that they saw two children alone in a vehicle, according to the affidavit viewed by Law & Crime. The security guard also reported that the children were sweating.
While waiting for police to arrive, security guards broke the driver’s window so that they could get in the vehicle and help the toddlers. Officers started to tend to the boys as two men approached the vehicle and said the children belonged to them.
Natseway, 27, said that he was the father of the boys, and the officers immediately handcuffed him and escorted to a patrol vehicle.
While speaking to investigators, Natseway said “he left his children in the vehicle while he went to Dirty Bourbon to have time for himself,” according to the affidavit.
“He advised he was aware of the children being in the vehicle and had tried to call family members to watch the kids for the night. However, no family members were available,” police wrote. “He stated he drove to Dirty Bourbon and would not have stayed long but due to people dancing with him he was unable to leave.”
Natseway said he got to the bar around 10:30 p.m. However, his identification was scanned by employees more than 20 minutes later at 10:54 p.m.
The children were found strapped into car seats that were not secured to the car and the vehicle’s windows were rolled up, according to KOB. Officers added that the children were drenched in sweat when they were found.
“The kids were very lethargic, seemed to be unconscious at the time but they were breathing,” Albuquerque police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos told KRQE. “Once they pulled them out of car seats they started to come to and regain consciousness. Officers noticed right away their clothes were drenched with sweat, they had soiled themselves.”
Natseway’s friend Orry Morris was also arrested because he allegedly knew the children had been left in the vehicle while the friends were at the bar. However, prosecutors eventually dropped his charges amid the investigation, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Natseway is being held at the Metro Detention Center without bond.
It’s not currently clear if he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Albuquerque Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
