South Carolina- A Myrtle Beach man accused of leaving his 10-month-old daughter in an unlocked car outside a strip club, where police said he was receiving a lap dance, will return to court today, a Myrtle Beach municipal court official said Monday morning.

Geoffrey Allen Hale, 27, of 126 Whitehaven Circle, was charged Oct. 15 with unlawful conduct toward a child. He was released on $10,000 bail the next day.

Hale’s trial is set to begin at 2 p.m. today.

Myrtle Beach police said an officer arrested Hale after police were called at 11:45 p.m. Oct. 15 to Derriere’s Gentleman’s Club. An officer said he found the baby buckled into a car seat in the back seat of the car, which was unlocked with the keys inside, according to a police report.

The report said an officer noticed a man sitting at a table in the club, smoking a cigarette and receiving a lap dance when he entered the club.

After asking several patrons their names, the officer went to the man at the table and learned he was Hale, the report showed.

Hale told police his wife was on stage dancing and that he was only there to get a cell phone from her, according to the police report. Hale said his baby was sleeping in the car and he did not want to wake her to take her inside the club.

During his bond hearing, Hale’s wife, Kara Hale, told City Judge Clifford Welsh that her husband is a good, caring father and disputed that he was inside the club more than five minutes before police arrived. She said the couple have been married for a year and a half and he works during the day while she works at night.

Police turned the baby over to Kara Hale when her husband was arrested.

City attorney Mike Smith said the case is not about the lap dance, but about Geoffrey Hale leaving the baby alone in the unlocked car with keys in it.

More details will be posted following today’s hearing.