MYRTLE BEACH, SC—A Myrtle Beach man appeared before a judge Friday morning to face charges of leaving his infant daughter in a car while he went inside a strip club.
Judge Clifford Welsh set a $10,000 surety bond for Geoffrey Allen Hale, 27.
Myrtle Beach Police said Hale left his baby inside a car outside of a strip club and went inside to smoke a cigarette and get a lap dance around 11:45p.m. Wednesday.
According to the police report, Myrtle Beach Police officer responded to Derriere’s Mens Club, on Seaboard Street, after police received a call about an infant in a car seat buckled up in the back of the car.
The officer ran the tag to find the owner’s name and found out it belonged to Hale – located by the officer in the club where he was at a table, smoking a cigarette and getting a lap dance.
When he asked Hale who he was with, Hale said his wife was dancing on stage.
While the officer and Hale walked to the car, Hale told the officer his daughter was sleeping in the car and he was only at the club to get a cell phone from his wife, so he left the child in the car.
According to the report, the car was unlocked and the keys were still inside.
Hale was arrested for unlawful conduct towards a child.
Kara Hale, the mother, came out and took the baby.
Hale told News13 her daughter is fine, the situation is all a big misunderstanding and her husband just made a mistake. She said they have hired a lawyer and hope to have the charge reduced.
Kara Hale told Judge Welsh her husband is a good father and the part of the police report about the lap dance is not true. Kara Hale told the judge she watched video that was recorded inside Derriere’s the night her husband was arrested and the part about the lap dance is not true.
Mike Smith, Myrtle Beach city prosecutor said the case is not about what Geoffrey Hale was or wasn’t doing inside the club.
“Whether or not this defendant was getting a lap dance, whether or not he was there two minutes, five minutes, eight minutes, it wouldn’t matter if somebody was coming to this courtroom to receive an award, if they left an 10-month old baby in our parking lot in the back of a car then that would be egregious act.” said Smith.
Myrtle Beach police Capt. David Knipes said while police don’t get calls about babies left alone in cars a lot, it happens too often.
“Absolutely the place does not matter, where they’re left, simple fact that they’re leaving their children in a vehicle especially in this case where the vehicle was unlocked and the keys were left in the vehicle, anybody could’ve come up, taken that vehicle for a ride, that kid’s in the back, who know what could’ve happened.” said Knipes.
Marilyn Matheus, with the Department of Social Services said DSS case workers rely on law enforcement officers to make a judgment call on the scene when a child is involved as to whether they will contact DSS. Matheus had not heard about the incident before speaking with News13, but said because of confidentiality, she cannot confirm or deny whether the family has a history with DSS.
Capt. Knipes said the officer felt comfortable enough with the mother to leave the baby with her and take Geoffrey Hale to jail. Friday, Knipes told News13 the police plan to give a copy of the report to DSS.