Three people were charged last week in Springfield after leaving 10 children in a SUV for two hours while they stopped to get a drink at a bar.

Police charged the man and two women with misdemeanor child endangerment after observers found the children-ranging between 7 months and 11 years-locked inside 2002 Chevy Tahoe in the parking lot outside the bar. Six of the children belonged to one of the women, and four belonged to the other. As a result of the incident, the children were taken into state custody.

According to police, the heat index at the time of the incident was 101 degrees. A surveillance video outside the bar shows the man stepping outside the bar to check on the children, waving his hands and returning inside. Sources said it was unclear how the man knew two women.

An onlooker from a nearby business observed that the children were getting antsy inside the car and turning on the vehicle to get air. When they were finally let out, they were given water and sent to the bathroom.

One of the mothers was not at the bar when police arrived, and she claims that a friend picked her up from the bar to take her to a baby shower. She said she thought the man and the woman were leave after she did. Police said, though, that the children had already been in the vehicle 30 minutes by that time.

One of the mothers involved in the incident had an outstanding warrant for a misdemeanor charge, and the other mother had a pending felony charge for distribution of a controlled substance, as well as a pending misdemeanor charge for writing a bad check. The man involved has a previous conviction for possession of a controlled substance and another for delivery of a controlled substance.

Child endangerment and abuse is often one of the reasons parents lose their children in contested custody cases. Courts take such claims very seriously and may deny custody or restrict visitation if a parent is found guilty of abuse or neglect.

Source: News Leader, "Police find 10 children in vehicle outside bar," Kathryn Wall, July 29, 2011.