Police: Toddler left in car while father at Homewood nightclub

A 2-year-old girl was left in a car while her father went to a nightclub in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, police said.

According to police, officers on foot patrol found the girl asleep on a white towel, her head near a gas can, in the back of a Land Rover parked in the parking lot beside Serenity Night Club. The temperature was 55 degrees, and the car was not running.

Investigators said Dewitt Harrell Jr., of Gahanna, Ohio, walked out of the club, then walked back inside when he saw officers at his car. According to court documents, Harrell walked out of the club and began yelling to see his daughter. Investigators said he struggled with officers as they took him into custody.

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Officers said they used the his keys to get the girl out of the car. She was taken to Children’s Hospital for evaluation, and CYF was notified.

Paramedics evaluated the girl at the scene and diagnosed her as hypothermic with a body temperature of 94 degrees, according to court documents.

Police call the section of Hamilton Avenue where Serenity Night Club is located a dangerous place that's plagued with violent, drug-related crimes.

Harrell is charged with child endangerment and resisting arrest. Police said Harrell has a criminal history here in Allegheny County and has a warrant in Ohio for theft of a firearm.

Cox Media Group