Dad admits leaving kids in car at Sands casino
By Riley Yates, Of The Morning Call
Maurice J. Cook is apparently an optimist.
Asked Tuesday by a Northampton County judge why he left his three young children alone in the car while he gambled at the Sands casino in Bethlehem, Cook said he was focused on the benefits — winning money to support his family — and not the negatives — the risk posed to his kids.
"I was thinking good. I wasn't thinking about the bad," a handcuffed and shackled Cook told President Judge Stephen Baratta.
"You weren't thinking good enough," Baratta shot back.
Cook, 30, of Easton was in court to plead guilty to recklessly endangering his children — ages 1, 5 and 8 — when he left them in his sport utility vehicle on Aug. 20 for about 45 minutes while he played blackjack.
He received a time-served to 18-month jail sentence from Baratta, who ordered him to attend parenting classes and seek counseling for the gambling addiction that Cook told police he has.
Cook was on parole at the time for shoplifting, and he won't be released until he completes a 90-day sentence that he previously received for the violation, according to defense attorney Christopher Shipman.
Sands security officers patrolling the casino's parking garage around 10:15 a.m. found the children on the first deck, the doors to the vehicle locked. Video surveillance showed Cook going into the Sands around 9:30 a.m., according to court records.
Cook told Baratta that the children are in the care of their mother.
As Cook was brought before the judge as his hearing began, Baratta said he recognized the defendant.
"You were in the newspaper, right?" Baratta asked. "They always write about people who leave their kids in the Sands."
"I was thinking good. I wasn't thinking about the bad," a handcuffed and shackled Cook told President Judge Stephen Baratta.
"You weren't thinking good enough," Baratta shot back.
He received a time-served to 18-month jail sentence from Baratta, who ordered him to attend parenting classes and seek counseling for the gambling addiction that Cook told police he has.
Sands security officers patrolling the casino's parking garage around 10:15 a.m. found the children on the first deck, the doors to the vehicle locked. Video surveillance showed Cook going into the Sands around 9:30 a.m., according to court records.
Cook told Baratta that the children are in the care of their mother.
As Cook was brought before the judge as his hearing began, Baratta said he recognized the defendant.
"You were in the newspaper, right?" Baratta asked. "They always write about people who leave their kids in the Sands."
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-bethlehem-father-left-children-in-car-gambled-sands-casino-20141125-story.html
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