Baby-sitter arrested after child is left in car in Glen Cove, cops say

A baby-sitter who left a 3-year-old unattended Tuesday in a car in a Glen Cove supermarket parking lot was arrested and charged with child endangerment, police said.

Robert Converse, 22, of Locust Valley, was arrested about 4:30 p.m., Glen Cove City police said Wednesday.

Converse was issued an appearance ticket returnable to Glen Cove City Court later this month, police said. The charge, endangering the welfare of a child, is a misdemeanor.

The child was unharmed and returned to its mother, who told police that Converse had been watching the child, on and off, for more than a year.

Police said the child was left alone for at least 15 minutes in the parking lot of a Stop & Shop supermarket.

The child was strapped into a car seat -- and one window in the vehicle was "slightly opened," according to police.

Police said Converse told officers he had stopped because he "needed to purchase something" at the supermarket.

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A witness reported the unattended child to police.

"The witness waited a few minutes to see if the child's parents showed up," and called police when no one returned, police said.

Converse could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

With Ellen Yan

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”