A Nebraska police captain was placed on leave after allegedly leaving her toddler locked in a vehicle while she went fishing with her partner.
Capt. Mayde McGuire, 54, and her partner, Mary Tobiassen, 49, were allegedly casting lines at Lincoln’s Pawnee Lake around 4 p.m. Sunday when alarmed bystanders spotted the distressed 2-year-old trapped in the parked minivan, police said. The child was reportedly locked inside for at least 28 minutes before deputies arrived.
When police arrived, the child was already out of the vehicle, according to Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner. The temperature outside at the time was 78 degrees, conditions that were comfortable for the adults fishing but potentially lethal for a small child in a contained space.
“We just can’t emphasize enough how quickly the interior of a vehicle can get extremely hot,” Wagner told reporters. “Even on a 78-degree day, which is pretty pleasant for us outdoors.”
“Inside a vehicle, it gets extremely hot, extremely quick, and so children just cannot be left inside a vehicle at this time of year,” the sheriff continued.
McGuire registered a blood alcohol content of.108 after submitting to a breathalyzer test, the sheriff said. That level exceeds the.08 legal limit for driving in Nebraska.
Tobiassen and McGuire were both charged with misdemeanor child abuse. McGuire was additionally cited and placed on leave from the Lincoln Police Department, where she had served as a captain.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
In the viral moment that drew national attention, an off-duty police captain entrusted with public safety allegedly endangered her own child during a recreational outing. The incident unfolded at a popular outdoor recreation area west of Lincoln, where the couple’s fishing trip was interrupted by concerned citizens who noticed the trapped toddler. The case has prompted renewed discussion about the dangers of hot vehicles and the accountability expected of law enforcement officers.
The child was removed from the vehicle before deputies could intervene directly, and authorities have not disclosed the toddler’s current status or whether the child required medical treatment.