The Age

Mother charged with locking child in car boot

By JOHN GLIONNA
The Age (Melbourne)
2000-11-08 23:20:07

A single mother was in jail on Tuesday for locking her son in the boot of her car because she could not find a baby sitter, authorities said.

Rosemarie Randovan was arrested early Monday at her San Jose home after a co-worker reported to police that he heard moans coming from the boot of the 30-year-old woman's car.

The man was reportedly riding in Ms Randovan's car on Sunday night as the two took a dinner break from their night-shift jobs at a Santa Clara electronics company.

"He hears these creepy little moans coming from the trunk (boot) of the car and he asks her 'Hey, what was that?', " San Jose police spokesman Rubens Dalaison said. "She just got real nervous and turned up the radio and started talking louder and ignoring what he was saying. But he kept hearing the moaning coming from the trunk."

When he returned to work, the man consulted several colleagues and then called the police.

Investigators on Tuesday spoke to Ms Randovan's two sons, aged 5 and 7, and were told that their mother routinely took them to work and left them in the boot while she completed her overnight shift.

Both boys have been placed with child protective services, and Ms Randovan was being held in the Santa Clara County jail, charged with child endangerment.

Several witnesses said Ms Randovan had recently started the night shift and was having trouble finding a baby sitter.

"Is this the desperate measure of a worried mother or just one big lack of thought, who knows?" asked Mr Dalaison. "I do know one thing: most people wouldn't even put their dog through an experience like that."

- LOS ANGELES TIMES

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