A 24-year-old father was charged with child abuse for allegedly leaving his 9-month-old baby girl alone in a parked car for about an hour while he went into a Van Nuys strip club, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Auwin Dargin of Van Nuys pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He's set to return to court on May 3.
In the afternoon of March 9, prosecutors and police say people near the parking lot at Synn Gentleman's Club called 911 after finding the child alone in the car.
"In the midst of them calling the police, the father came out from the strip joint and basically wanted to take the baby," said LAPD Officer Charles Chacon in March.
The passers-by refused to let the father take his crying daughter and stayed with her until officers arrived.
The father was arrested and the girl was taken into custody by child protective services.
If convicted, prosecutors say Dargin faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison.
