An 18-year-old man who police say deserted his newborn baby in the parking lot of a Suisun City strip mall was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor on Wednesday.
Daniel Mitchell on Monday was caught on surveillance camera driving from a baby carrier — with the 16-day-old boy strapped in to it — on the 140 block of Sunset Avenue. Officers were able trace the car's license plate back to Mitchell, Suisun City police said.
On Wednesday, a criminal complaint against Mitchell stated that he was charged with felony child abuse, felony abandonment and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
Mitchell got emotional and broke down when the charges against him were read aloud in court Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to endangering his child.
After leaving behind the newborn on Monday, Mitchell got into a hit-and-run crash in Fairfield on Monday and was apprehended by police in connection with that incident. He was transported to the North Bay Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries sustained in the collision.
Suisun City police interviewed him at the hospital and identified him as the infant's father. The teenage parolee, however, told police that he was on drugs and did not recall abandoning his newborn child.
Mitchell was previously arrested on June 27 by Suisun City police on multiple felony charges, including possession of a firearm, after a burglary was reported on Gray Hawk Lane, police said.
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Police said the boy's mother is not considered a suspect, but their investigation continues. On Wednesday, the infant, who was rescued by a group of barber shop employees, was said to be in stable condition.
Mitchell returns to court Aug. 3. He's being held at the Solano County Jail on $500,000 bail.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Sousa at 707-421-7361. Information can also be reported anonymously to Solano Crime Stoppers at 707-644-7867.
NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez and Bay City News contributed to this report.
