A Nebraska police captain found herself on the wrong side of the law when authorities say she left her 2-year-old daughter locked inside a hot minivan while she went fishing with her partner at Pawnee Lake in Lincoln.
Mayde McGuire, 54, who serves as a police captain with the Lincoln Police Department, was cited for misdemeanor child abuse along with her partner, Mary Tobiassen, 49, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Department. Neither woman was arrested.
Background
Sheriff Terry Wagner detailed the incident during a Monday press conference, explaining that another couple fishing at Pawnee Lake discovered the toddler locked inside a black minivan parked in the lot on Sunday afternoon. The child was reportedly "crying and screaming" when Braydon Nichols and Izabella Glover approached the vehicle.
"The little girl had crawled over and escaped her car seat to get to the front seat of the minivan," Glover told local CBS affiliate KOLN. "She was banging on the window."
Glover described the child's condition as alarming. "She was in distress. It wasn't a child just wanting to get out of something they didn't want to do. They wanted their parents. They didn't know what was going on."
The Investigation
According to Wagner, McGuire removed the toddler from the vehicle before Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene. Investigators determined the child had been alone in the locked minivan for approximately 28 minutes. The outdoor temperature at the time was 78 degrees Fahrenheit, though Wagner emphasized "how quickly the interior of a vehicle can get extremely hot."
McGuire submitted to a preliminary breath test at the scene, which indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.108—above the legal driving limit of 0.08. She has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
"Both McGuire and Tobiassen were cited for misdemeanor child abuse," Wagner confirmed during the press conference. "The toddler was uninjured and returned to her parents."
Key Takeaways
- Mayde McGuire, 54, is a police captain with the Lincoln Police Department in Nebraska
- She and her partner, Mary Tobiassen, 49, were fishing at Pawnee Lake while their 2-year-old daughter remained locked in their minivan for approximately 28 minutes
- A couple fishing at the same lake discovered the distressed toddler banging on the vehicle windows before calling 911
- McGuire's preliminary breath test showed a BAC of 0.108, above the legal limit
- Both adults were cited for misdemeanor child abuse; neither was arrested
- McGuire has been placed on administrative leave during the investigation
What's Next
Court dates for McGuire and Tobiassen have not yet been established. The Lincoln Police Department is conducting an internal review concurrent with the criminal citation process. Investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding how long the child was left unattended and the conditions inside the vehicle at the time of the discovery.