Carol Stream man left 5 children in car at casino, police say

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A suburban man is facing charges nearly a year after authorities say he left five children, including two toddlers, in a car by themselves at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, police said.

The offender, 29, of the 600 block of Amber Lane in Carol Stream, is charged with endangering the life or health of a child.

The man left the children – ages 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 – in a vehicle in the casino’s parking garage in April 2023, according to police. Security video indicated Graham was at the casino for nearly an hour, police said.

Shortly after one of the kids made a call on a cellphone, he showed up at the car and said it was his, police said. He gave a security guard a fake ID and then drove off before police arrived at the casino, according to a news release.

Police determine the offender owned the car and eventually reached him by phone, and he confirmed he was at the casino and left the children alone, according to the release. He never came into the police station to be interviewed, however, and a warrant eventually was issued for his arrest.

He was arrested Monday night after police spotted him in Chicago. He subsequently appeared in Cook County court for a detention hearing, police said.