An off-duty Lincoln police captain was cited and placed on leave after her 2-year-old child was found alone in a locked van at a Nebraska lake on Sunday, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called to Pawnee Lake at 4:04 p.m. after receiving a report of a distressed 2-year-old locked in a vehicle with no adults nearby. Sheriff Terry Wagner said the mother, identified as Capt. Mayde McGuire, 54, had already taken the toddler out of the van by the time deputies arrived.
During the investigation, deputies spoke with McGuire and her partner, 49-year-old Mary Tobiassen. The sheriff’s office determined the child had been left in the van for at least 28 minutes while McGuire and Tobiassen were fishing. The outside temperature at the time was 78 degrees.
Wagner warned about the dangers of leaving children in vehicles, noting that interiors can heat up rapidly even on mild days.
“We just can’t emphasize enough how quickly the interior of a vehicle can get extremely hot,” Wagner said. “Even on a 78-degree day, which is pretty pleasant for us outdoors. Inside a vehicle, it gets extremely hot, extremely quick, and so children just cannot be left inside a vehicle at this time of year.”
The toddler did not sustain any injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
McGuire submitted a preliminary breath test that showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.108, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. McGuire and Tobiassen were each cited for misdemeanor child abuse.
The investigation is ongoing as the sheriff’s office reviews video from deputies and witnesses at the scene.