A Nebraska woman who serves as a police captain ended up on the wrong side of the law after authorities say her toddler was discovered locked inside her minivan.
Mayde McGuire, 54, was cited for child abuse along with her partner, Mary Tobiassen, 49, after their 2-year-old daughter was reportedly found by another couple who had been fishing at the same lake. According to police, McGuire and Tobiassen were fishing at Pawnee Lake in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sunday afternoon. Another couple walked past a black minivan in the parking lot and saw the little girl, who was “crying and screaming.” Once they realized the toddler was alone and the van was locked, they called 911.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department stated during a Monday press conference that McGuire is a police captain with the Lincoln Police Department and was off duty at the time.
Police said McGuire got the child out of the van before deputies arrived at the scene. According to Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner, the toddler was by herself in the vehicle for at least 28 minutes before she was found. Wagner noted the outdoor temperature was 78 degrees Fahrenheit, but pointed out “how quickly the interior of a vehicle can get extremely hot.”
Local CBS affiliate KOLN spoke with the couple who found McGuire’s daughter, Braydon Nichols and Izabella Glover. Glover told KOLN that the little girl reportedly “crawled over” and escaped her car seat to reach the front seat of the minivan, where she started “banging” on the window.
She added that the little girl was “in distress. It wasn’t a child just wanting to get out of something they didn’t want to do. They wanted their parents. They didn’t know what was going on.”
Police said the toddler was uninjured and returned to her parents. According to Wagner, McGuire took a preliminary breath test at the scene, which showed she had a blood alcohol content of 0.108.
McGuire was placed on leave while the charges against her were investigated. Both she and Tobiassen were cited for misdemeanor child abuse. Neither was arrested. Court dates for McGuire and Tobiassen were not available.
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