What to do with 2-week old child while fishing?

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VIDALIA, LA (WAFB) - A man and a woman from Monroe, LA have been arrested after being accused of leaving a 2-week-old child on the hood of a vehicle unattended while they were fishing.

Just before 11:30 a.m., Vidalia Police were called to the south boat ramp on the Vidalia Riverfront about the infant being left unsupervised on the hood of the car. When the officer arrived, the mother of the infant was seen picking up the infant from the car seat that was on the hood of the car, with no protection or cover from the sun.

The officer reported that he could hear the infant crying and as he approached, he could see the infant was severely red in color.

The mother, Marcella Cooper Watson, 33, told the officer "she had only been fishing a short time and didn't realized the infant was so sunburned until he arrived."

The child's father, David L. Ramey, 33,walked up to the officer and said he and a friend left to get more ice and other items while Watson stayed and looked after the child, and that he had not been gone for more than 15 minutes.

When the officer showed Ramey his child and pointed out the extreme redness, Ramsey said, "She's a little red. She's fine. She hasn't been out here long. We've been keeping her in the truck as much as possible."

The infant was taken to the hospital to check for sunburn and dehydration.

Witnesses say they saw and heard the child crying at 8 a.m. when they left the doc and the child was still there and crying when they returned three hours later, that is when they called the police.

Louisiana Child Protective Services was contacted and took custody of the infant at the hospital. Both parents were arrested by Vidalia Police and are currently being held at Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office on cruelty to a juvenile and improper supervision of a juvenile. They are each being held on a $5,500 bond.

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