36-year-old Risha Weems is accused of leaving her baby in a truck with a friend while she played video poker. But after Weems was gone for a while, the friend decided she would also try her luck, and she left the baby in the vehicle. Now Weems is behind bars, but the friend remains free and and you might be surprised to find out why. "She continued playing on the video gaming machine instead of going out to the truck to see about her baby," said Shreveport Detective Cpl. Alain Jones. Now Risha Weems is facing felony charges of cruelty to a juvenile. Police questioned the friend, and let her go. Even though police say she is the one who left the baby alone in the truck. "The mother is baring the responsibility of that child. And when the friend got up and went inside the place at the time the mother should have walked out," said Jones. Leaving a minor unattended in a car is a crime in the state of Louisiana and the responsibility does ultimately fall on the parent. But Caddo Parish District Attorney Paul Carmouche says there are several factors which could result in the caregiver also being charged. "Although if you see there's a situation where there's a baby in a car and it's hot and there's a danger... you very well could be charged," said Carmouche. So even though the friend wasn't arrested she still could be held liable, depending on the outcome of the DA's a investigation. "The friend could be charged possibly as an accessory to a crime or maybe as a principal to a crime." If charged, the friend could become subject to the same punishment as the mother. "It's a complicated process but the main focus is the protection of the children." Detectives Jones says doctors told him that when the baby arrived at the hospital he was suffering from a 108 degree fever. As of late Monday, he was still being treated for dehydration and an elevated heart rate. Meanwhile his mother is expect to be transferred to Caddo Correctional facility, while she will wait for an arraignment hearing.
