Evansville man charged with child neglect, abandonment

The Janesville Gazette, Wis.
·2 min read

Apr. 24—EVANSVILLE — Police say an Evansville man declined to give his child a ride home or check on the child's welfare as the child showed signs of hypothermia, leading to the man being charged with child neglect and abandonment.

Shane P. Levin, 43, of 405 E. Main St., Evansville, was arrested on charges of child abandonment and neglecting a child—consequence in bodily harm, according to court records.

Police found a teenager at the intersection of Union and Main streets in Evansville around 8:30 p.m. Jan. 13. The teenager was wearing torn socks and no shoes, and the officer could see the teenager's toes were severely scraped, according to the criminal complaint.

The teenager had been sent home from school that day for fighting and ran away shortly after being sent home. The teen told police his shoes broke, so he tossed them aside, according to the complaint.

The teenager walked around the train tracks of Lake Leota Park and eventually lost feeling in his toes, which prompted him to start crawling, according to the complaint.

While walking back into town, someone let the teenager use a cell phone to call Levin and ask for a ride home. Levin answered the phone, said "no" and hung up, according to the complaint.

The teenager had been standing at the intersection for about 10 minutes before police arrived, according to the complaint.

EMS crews determined the boy's body temperature was 94 degrees and sent the teen to a local hospital because of possible hypothermia, according to the complaint.

Police found pill bottles and an empty can of Coors Light near where the teenager was found. The teenager admitted drinking the beer to wash the pain pills down, according to the complaint.

Levin told police the teenager was slurring his words and sounded "messed up" when the teenager called Levin. Police indicate in the report that Levin did not check on the teenager despite acknowledging that the teen sounded "off" on the phone.

Levin is scheduled for an initial appearance May 24 in Rock County Court.