Jason Warren : “Jason Warren’s Granddaughter Left with Homeless Woman: Sheriff Alerted”

A California man was taken into custody in Sacramento on Monday on suspicion of child endangerment after reportedly leaving his 7-year-old granddaughter in the care of a homeless woman while he went to a local bar, as reported by KXTV.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 7:45 p.m. reporting a man seeking help, claiming his granddaughter had been abducted for human trafficking. Deputies promptly responded to a bar parking lot.

Upon arrival, law enforcement encountered the man, identified as 54-year-old Jason Warren, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, according to the sheriff’s office.

Warren informed deputies that he had given $20 to a homeless woman, later identified as Lauren Jope, to take his granddaughter to a thrift store while he spent approximately four hours at the bar.

Surveillance footage captured Jope leaving the premises with the child. Fortunately, after hearing announcements from a sheriff’s helicopter, she returned the child to the parking lot within half an hour.

Jope recounted her interaction with Warren, stating that he had requested her to accompany the child to a store to purchase clothing. Concerned about his state of intoxication, she decided to take the child to her campsite for food.

Following an inquiry by deputies, the child verified Jope’s version of events and appeared unharmed. The child was examined as a precaution and later reunited with her aunt, who had full custody.

Warren was apprehended and faces charges of felony child endangerment. He is presently held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on a bail of $75,000 and is set to appear in court on Wednesday.

Expressing gratitude for being in the right place at the right time, Jope reflected on the potentially dire consequences had she not intervened. “I’m glad I was walking when I was, as she could have been left with someone who doesn’t care for her well-being,” she said.