Police made a Black Friday bust after a father allegedly left his kids alone at a hotel to go shopping.
A 4-year old boy left room 102 at the Hampton Inn here at around 4:30 a.m. looking for his parents. The door locked behind him, his disabled 11-year-old sister unable to let him back in.
Turns out the parents were a mile away doing some Black Friday shopping. The father, Toru Sakaguchi, spoke to police, but didn’t put the blame on himself.
“His explanation was that his wife was shopping and he was going to pick her up. He said his wife made him wait for more than an hour and it took him longer than he thought,” said Richard Vasquez of the Woodbury Police Department.
Sakaguchi is facing charges, including endangering the welfare of minors. He is due in court in December.
Some shoppers saw a compulsion or addiction at work.
“A shopping addiction is like anything else,” said Wendy Youngblood.
Mostly, shoppers are appalled by his behavior.
“The first thing they should of thought about was their children. I mean, big deal; they save a few dollars. Those are the children, real treasures,” said Rachel Segall.
Police said after he was arrested, the parents were spotted shopping, but they had the kids with them.