XIONG

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.

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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.  

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