Dad with custody/visitation rights arrested for leaving "mssing" 5-year-old daughter at water park (Beatrice, Nebraska)

Fortunately this is not one of those cases that ended in tragedy. But it does highlight the problem of granting custody/visitation rights to young, probably never married fathers who don't have a clue as to how to supervise young children. Notice this is the second time police became involved because dad ZACHARY C. SHEPARDSON "lost" the child. And this last time, he didn't even bother to contact police though she had been gone for at least two hours.

The poor mother must just shudder every time she has to submit her daughter to this. And yet, how much you want to bet that the court's won't revoke Daddy's "rights"?

http://journalstar.com/news/local/911/year-old-found-alone-in-pool-father-arrested/article_118c979e-b25b-51ee-9c14-5a621113c1ab.html

5-year-old found alone in pool; father arrested

June 09, 2015 11:40 am • By the Beatrice Daily Sun

BEATRICE — A Beatrice man was arrested after his 5-year-old daughter was found alone in the Beatrice pool.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday, an hour before the Big Blue Water Park opened, a pool worker spotted a child in the pool in chest-high water with no clothing or supervision.

The worker contacted police, who determined the 5-year-old was unable to swim. The father was eventually identified as Zachary C. Shepardson, 23.

Officers got in touch with a family member, who contacted Shepardson, who then contacted police at 12:35 p.m.

During an interview with police, Shepardson said he knew the child had been missing since around 10 a.m. but did not report it to officers because he was afraid he would get in trouble. Shepardson told officers he knew he should have notified police based on a previous experience when his daughter was lost and returned to him by officers, according to Gage County Court documents.

Shepardson was arrested on suspicion of committing intentional child abuse for not notifying police, because it placed his child in a situation that endangered her physical health.

Police Lt. Mike Oliver said the girl was unharmed, and was turned over to her mother, who does not live with Shepardson.

Shepardson appeared in Gage County Court Monday, where bond was set at $5,000 with a 10 percent deposit. He’s due back in court June 23.