Greenbelt, MD – A federal court has dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against a St. Mary’s County man who left his infant son inside a vehicle. The incident occurred last Sept. 3 in a parking lot at Patuxent Naval Air Station.
According to documents on file at U.S. District Court for Maryland, the defendant, John Macdonald Junek, 40 of Leonardtown, still faces charges of confinement in a motor vehicle. Federal prosecutors allege that Junek was in charge of his son’s care and “did not provide a reliable person at least 13-years-old to remain with the child to protect the child.”
According to court spokeswoman Marcia Murphy, Junek is scheduled for a bench trial starting June 24 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day.
According to court documents, on Sept. 3 Junek called 911 and reported his son had been found locked inside a vehicle at the parking lot located at the building where he worked. “The infant was described as unconscious, unresponsive and not breathing,” stated Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Special Agent Richard Solis, in the court documents.
Efforts by emergency responders to revive the child at the scene were unsuccessful.
Junek was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter the day after his son’s death.
According to the Maryland Family Code the charge Junek faces is a misdemeanor carrying a penalty of imprisonment not exceeding 30 days and/or a fine not to exceed $500.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com