SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — A Charleston man was arrested on Saturday for child neglect after allegedly leaving his two-year-old child in a car while he went inside Mimi’s on Mountaineer Boulevard in South Charleston to gamble. Court documents say the car was left unlocked and running about 90 to 100 feet from Mimi’s front door, out of sight from 30-year-old Cody Marchal.

First Choice Services operates several helplines and programs in West Virginia to help provide access to behavioral health and social services.

“When you’re talking about leaving young children unattended in a car, the possibilities for awful things happening are endless,” Director of Marketing and Communication for First Choice Services Sheila Moran said. “Of course, there could be a stolen car with a child inside. The child could figure out how to get out of the car and could go wondering in a busy street. With the weather of course, it takes so little time for a child to die in a hot car.”

Court documents say Marchal had been gambling for 15 to 20 minutes before police were notified.

Moran told Eyewitness News people often lose track of time when they gamble, making for a dangerous situation for children left in a car.

“One of two things are going to happen. You’re going to win, and then you’re gonna say hey I’m on a hot streak I’m gonna keep going. Or, you’re going to lose and you’re going to dig yourself further and further in the hole,” she said. “Either way, you’re staying there a lot longer than you planned.”

Moran said people leaving children in the car while gambling has become a big concern in the last few years.

“Kids being left in cars at casinos or video poker parlors is not a new thing. This is something we’ve heard about for many years from people, not just who call us, but people who work in these places,” she told Eyewitness News. “It’s a big concern.”

Marchal was taken to South Central Regional Jail on a $10,000 bond.

For the First Choice Services gambling helpline, click here.