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Gambler who left son in car: 'I made a mistake'

Posted at 9:26 AM, May 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-03 01:36:00-04

A Scottsdale dad spent nearly an hour gambling on Friday night while his 15-month-old son was in the car alone.

According to police paperwork, before 11 p.m., the child was found unattended in the backseat of the vehicle parked at Talking Stick Resort. He had reportedly been there for 57 minutes.

Two patrons outside the casino heard the child crying and alerted security, according to police.

Security officers used surveillance video to find out who had initially walked away from the car, then tracked down that person inside the casino, police said.

The person authorities found, according to police, was 39-year-old Daniel Armaz. In the meantime, firefighters were able to get into the car and remove the child.

Armaz, the boy's father, was inside gambling at the time, police say. He was arrested on one count of child abuse.

 “I’m not a bad guy,” Armaz said in a phone interview with ABC15. “[I] made a mistake.”

He said that the boy had eaten and fallen asleep inside the vehicle.

A judge ruled that, for now at least, Armaz may not see his son, who was not harmed.