KFSM News in Fort Smith has more details on a Gentry (Benton County) man arrested Tuesday night after police say he left his 4-year-old son in a car before starting his shift at an industrial bakery.
Police arrested 33-year-old Thao H. Xiong after a passerby discovered Xiong’s son alone in a car in the parking lot of the McKee Foods plant in Gentry around 6:20 p.m. August 1. Xiong started his shift at 5:45 p.m. The child was checked out by doctors and though the boy suffered from heat-related issues, he was found to be okay. Xiong was charged with felony first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. He’s being held without bond in the Benton County Jail, with his first hearing in the case set for Benton County Circuit Court on Sept. 11.
According to their website, the McKee Foods plant in Gentry employees over 1,300 people, with the company best known for producing Little Debbie brand snack cakes.