Judge is charged in hot-car death of his toddler son
An Arkansas judge is facing a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide for the July 24 hot-car death of his 17-month old son.
Prosecutors charged Judge Wade Naramore of Garland County on Thursday, report Arkansas Online, the Leader Call, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record and KATV.
Naramore told police he worried about a court case on the day in question, and when he went to pick up his son from day care at the end of the day he realized the boy was still in his car seat, according to the arrest affidavit.
In the 911 call to Hot Springs police, Naramore said he believed his son was dead after being left in the car. When police arrived Naramore was yelling “No, my baby!” He told police he believed the boy had been left in the car for five hours and said several times, “I killed my baby!” according to the arrest affidavit.
Accompanied by his lawyer, Naramore spoke with police in November, the arrest affidavit says. Naramore said he had been worried about a court case on July 24. He had said morning prayers with his son while driving to work that day, and they stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast.
Naramore left work early, ran some errands, went home, and then left to pick up his son from day care. When turning the corner, he heard a noise in the back of his car, looked around, and saw that his son was still in his car seat and had not been dropped off at day care. Naramore immediately stopped the car, took his son out of the car seat and called for help.
In a press conference on Thursday, Special Prosecutor Scott Ellington said negligent homicide was “the right charge under the circumstances,” according to KATV.
“I would be cold-blooded if I couldn’t say that the circumstances are just—they’re tragic,” Ellington said. “They’re tragic for the child, they’re tragic for the family, they’re tragic for the community. I have a heart that beats just like everybody else.”
