West Michigan father faces trial after toddler dies in hot car

VICKSBURG, Mich. – A West Michigan father whose toddler died after being left in a hot car will go to trial, according to Kalamazoo County Chief Prosecutor Jeff D. Williams.

Chad Martin, 36, previously received a $5,000 personal recognizance after turning himself in on Nov. 20.

Three months earlier, on Aug. 13, Martin left the house around 6 a.m. with his two children, intending to drop them both off at their respective day care centers, according to probable cause documents obtained by News Channel 3.

The 36-year-old dropped off his daughter but forgot to drop off his son as he drove past his son’s daycare to work, Martin told investigators.

When he arrived, Martin didn’t check the back seat and left his 3-year-old in the car with the windows rolled up for about nine hours, documents show.

“At no time did Chad (Martin) leave work to go to his vehicle in the parking lot,” the documents state.

The 36-year-old worked from 7 a.m. to about 3 p.m. and then drove to Family Fare to pick up groceries.

However, when he returned to his car, Martin found his 3-year-old unresponsive and still sitting in his car seat, according to the documents.

“During the course of this investigation, it was determined that (the 3-year-old) died in the parking lot of Chad (Martin’s) workplace,” investigators said. “The outside temperature at the time of discovery was 84 degrees Fahrenheit. (Three-year-old) had an autopsy performed at WMed and the autopsy report listed the manner of death as accidental.”

Martin remains cooperative with the law and hopes to be held accountable for the incident.

“There’s nothing the criminal justice system can do that won’t be worse than the way he already feels about what happened,” Caleb Grimes, Martin’s defense attorney, said Nov. 20 after Martin’s arraignment. “I think his main concern is based on my conversations with him indicating that he is willing to take responsibility for what he actually did in this case.”

As of Nov. 19, Martin has been charged with leaving a child in a vehicle resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to 15 years, according to Williams.

His preliminary examination was scheduled for Dec. 10 but has since been rescinded, Williams confirmed to News Channel 3 on Tuesday.

It has not been announced when Martin’s trial will begin.