Washington parents who left toddlers in freezing car accept plea deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Washington couple who left their two toddlers in a car in freezing weather to attend a wine tasting accepted a plea deal in which charges will be dropped if they take parenting classes, court records showed on Thursday. Christophe Lucas, 41, and Jennie Chang, 46, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of second-degree attempted cruelty to children in District of Columbia Court on Thursday. Under their plea deal with prosecutors, the charges will be dropped after nine months if they attend parenting class and maintain good behavior, records showed. The couple said they parked their car outside the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Jan. 31 and left an iPhone behind with an open line to monitor the children, according to a police report.The couple left the children, at the time both less than 2 years old, to attend a wine tasting at a nearby upscale restaurant, the police report said. (Reporting by John Clarke; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Peter Cooney)