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Inset: Orlander Linson appearing in court (WJBK). Background: The Michigan street where Linson allegedly left the car with his 1-year-old son inside (Google Maps).
A Michigan man has been arrested following the discovery of his 13-month-old son left inside his impounded car. The father, Orlander Murnell Linson Jr., faces charges of child abuse, specifically for leaving a child in a vehicle causing harm, as well as second-degree child abuse.
The incident unfolded when officers from the Harper Woods Police Department responded to a report about an abandoned car on Damman Street, in the 20600 block. The vehicle had been parked in a restricted zone and was blocking a resident’s driveway, prompting the call.
A tow truck was dispatched to the scene and subsequently transported the vehicle to an impound lot in Eastpointe. Due to the car being locked, the tow truck driver was unable to inspect the vehicle’s interior or take inventory of its contents, according to the police report.
The situation escalated the next day when a detective from the Detroit Police Department reached out to Harper Woods police regarding a missing child investigation. The detective noted that the vehicle connected to the child’s father had been impounded by Harper Woods authorities the previous day.
The following day, a detective with the Detroit Police Department contacted Harper Woods police regarding an investigation into the case of a missing child. The detective said a car belonging to the father of the missing child had been impounded by Harper Woods police the previous day.
“Suspecting that the missing child may still be in the vehicle, Detroit Police and Harper Woods officers immediately responded to the tow yard in Eastpointe and located the crying 1-year-old child in the rear of the vehicle,” the release states.
The boy was pinned between his car seat and the rear passenger door, Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ reported.
Medics transported the child to a local hospital for treatment. Doctors determined the boy was in stable condition, but kept him through the weekend for evaluation. Police contacted Child Protective Services regarding the case.
Harper Woods Police Chief Jason Hammerle provided additional details about the case to WXYZ and Fox Detroit affiliate WJBK, telling the stations that the victim’s mother reported the toddler missing Saturday morning.
He also lauded the Detroit police detective’s actions in saving the child.
“That detective did an outstanding job by locating the car considering it wasn’t yet registered to the suspect in this case,” Hammerle said. “He was able to locate the plate number, the VIN number, tracked it down to Woods Towing. And that detective responded immediately to the tow yard. He’s the one that made contact, peered into the windows and found the child in the rear seat.”
During Linson’s initial court appearance, authorities requested a high bond, arguing the defendant posed a serious flight risk.
“Mr. Linson Jr. has 10 active warrants for his arrest, and he does not have a residence at this time,” Deputy Chief Ted Stager said, per WJBK. “So if he does bond out, I’m concerned that he may be in the wind, and we have no way to find out where he would be.”
Linson’s defense attorney requested a personal recognizance bond, saying the situation was the result of “a bad split-second decision.”
He is currently being held on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to return to court on March 11.