Modesto father arrested for leaving child in car

A Modesto man was arrested Sunday after officers found his 4-year-old son unattended in car outside of a check-cashing business.

Officers were called California Check Cashing in the 1800 block of Prescott Road at about 11:15 a.m., said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Heather Graves.

The woman who called police watched the boy until officers arrived.

He had been left in the car for at least 10 minutes. A window was down and there was no car seat in the car, Graves said.

The boy’s father came out of the check-cashing store while officers were interviewing the witness.

Rafael Garcia Jr., 35, was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. He also had warrants for theft and driving on a suspended license, Graves said.

Officers contacted the boy’s mother to take custody of him. While they waited for her the boy said he was hungry so a sergeant bought him a meal from the nearby McDonald’s, Graves said.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Modesto father arrested for leaving child in car."