Arizona couple accused of abandoning son for Pokemon Go

WHEN deputies arrived at the Arizona home, they found a barefoot 2-year-old who was wearing just a diaper and a T-shirt and trying to get inside, according to a news release.

"The child was red faced, sweaty, and dirty," the release from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office states.

Authorities found three dogs when they searched the San Tan Valley home, but they didn't find the child's parents, according to the release. Eventually, though, deputies located a telephone number for the man they thought was the child's father.

"When they called and told him his child was found abandoned," he replied, 'Whatever', and hung up on the deputies," the release stated.

The boy's parents, 27-year-old Brent Daley and Brianne Daley, 25, were arrested on charges of child endangerment and child neglect after the incident, which occurred late last month. The couple told authorities that they left the toddler alone while they were playing Pokémon Go, authorities say.

"Our agency and many other law enforcement agencies have been warning people about personal safety while playing this interactive Smartphone game, but we never would have imagined that parents would abandoned a child to play Pokemon Go," Sheriff Paul Babeu said in a statement. "This goes beyond comprehension."

It was unclear if the Daleys had attorneys.

Authorities responded to the residence Thursday morning, after a neighbor contacted emergency dispatchers and reported that a 2-year-old boy was outside, according to the release.

"She said that nobody was home and the child appeared to have been abandoned," the release stated.

The child was screaming, crying, and trying to get inside when deputies arrived, according to the release.

When the couple finally showed up at the home, they told investigators that they had gone out to buy gas while the child slept. But according to the release, they made other statements after they were arrested.

"The couple admitted they were away from the residence for up to 90 minutes playing the Pokémon Go Smartphone game," Babeu said in a statement. "They said they were driving around San Tan Valley, stopping at parks and other places to interact with the game."