Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release:

On 6-18-2017 at around 6:51 PM the Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a call from Bear River Casino Security reporting there was an unattended small child that was locked inside a Ford Explorer in the casino parking lot. Security staff advised the child was unresponsive to their attempts to get the child’s attention. Security staff was able to make entry into the vehicle and found the two year old child unresponsive. City Ambulance personnel arrived on scene and took the child to Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna for treatment of heat related injuries.

As emergency personnel were arriving with lights and siren activated, the child’s grandmother, Katherine Perri came out of the casino and headed towards her vehicle. Sheriff’s Office Deputies arrived on scene and began the investigation. It was determined that Perri had left her grandchild inside the vehicle for about 40 minutes while she went inside the casino to gamble. After taking several statements and obtaining security camera footage it was determined there was probable cause to arrest Perri for Penal Code section 273a(a) “Willful harm or injury to a child” (felony) and Vehicle Code section 15620, Unattended child in a vehicle (Infraction.) Perri was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility without incident on the above listed charges.

Child Welfare Services was contacted and took the child into protective custody per Welfare and Institutions Code 300.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.