Three-month-old Jamison Dean Gray died Thursday in a hot car when he was left there for over an hour by his father who was smoking marijuana at the time.
According to police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson, 31-year-old Daniel Bryant Gray, left his son in a parked car and forgot about him while smoking pot with a co-worker. The baby died due to excessive heat in the car.
Gray was charged with manslaughter and child abuse. He was locked up in an Arizona jail. Thompson said that late Thursday night, they got information due to which they believe that Gray was smoking pot with a colleague when he forgot that his son, Jamison Dean Gray, was in his car. By the time Gray realized that his son was in the car, it was too late.
On Wednesday, the temperature in Phoenix was 102 degrees. Gray’s 3-month-old son was pronounced dead at the hospital and the reason was hot weather.
At first, police report showed that Gray got busy and forgot about the boy but court documents showed that after the investigation, the investigators came to know by a witness that Gray and a colleague had been standing beside Gray’s car and they both were smoking pot.
The other employee who was smoking with Gray was not identified by the police and he said he didn’t see the baby in the car and didn’t know Gray was a father.
Gray told police he lost track of time after he stopped at BT’s Sports Pub in Phoenix, where he works as a kitchen manager.
During the 1st court hearing, a prosecutor said, “There’s no question” that Gray didn’t intend for his son to die. Deputy Maricopa County Attorney George Kelemen Jr. said that the death is just like an impaired driver causes a death of his/her passenger. Kelemen also noted that Gray has a criminal record that includes convictions for possession of marijuana and aggravated DUI. He said that Gray’s history shows that he was charged with substance abuse. Kelemen told a judge who set bail for Gray, “The state believes the tragedy that occurred Wednesday is not simply an unavoidable mistake of a thoughtful parent”.
Gray is being held on $100,000 bond. He didn’t have a lawyer.
On Thursday, Phoenix police sent their investigation to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to determine if charges would be filed. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said, “There are circumstances where we look at the situation and have to determine that even the most attentive parent might have made a similar decision that again resulted in a horrific accident”.
Jamison’s mother, Rebecca Hillary, is trying to cope with the loss of her child. On Friday afternoon she said, “He was always such a good boy; all he wanted to do is smile, that’s all he did. He just loved to smile and play and he was just so happy”.
“Our family is beyond devastated. There are no words to describe the pain and heartache we are experiencing. I can’t even imagine what his mother is going through”, Jamison’s aunt wrote on her blog.
Police are still investigating the incident.
Author Bio:
Attorney Jeanne Morales is an experienced Attorney who represents people for bankruptcy, SSD and Immigration cases in Texas.
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