Man left 7-year-old granddaughter with homeless woman so he could go drink, police say

A man ended up in handcuffs Monday after being accused of child endangerment after police said his 7-year-old granddaughter was left in the care of a homeless woman so he could go to a bar.

Deputies responded to a parking lot at The Cinder’s Bar in Sacramento, Calif., around 7:45 p.m., after a caller reported a man who was asking for help because his granddaughter had been kidnapped for human trafficking.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they said the man, later identified as 54-year-old Jason Warren, was “highly intoxicated,” according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Warren told authorities that he had paid a homeless woman — a complete stranger — $20 to take the young girl to a thrift store on Monday while he ventured into the bar and stayed there for four hours, both KXTV and KCRA3 reported.

The bar’s surveillance video shows a woman leaving with the 7-year-old girl. Half an hour into the search, the homeless woman heard announcements from the sheriff’s helicopter and returned the child back to the parking lot, both news outlets said.

The homeless woman was identified as 34-year-old Lauren Jope, who stays at a camp near Auburn Boulevard.

“After we’d gotten something to eat, we walked back up the hill and all the sudden the helicopter is going around and then, ‘Attention on the ground, attention on the ground’ and it says her name and describes me,” Jope said to KXTV.

Jope she said she had been just walking down the street earlier when “this car looked as if it was out of gas.”

“This guy asked me, ‘Hey, can you go into the store with my [granddaughter] to buy a pair of shorts and I was like, ‘Okay, no problem.’ He was like, ‘You know buy yourself a few things and I’ll give you some money or whatever,’ so I said okay,” Jope said to KCRA3.

Jope said that after she and the young girl came out of the thrift store, she noticed Warren was acting strange and, out of instinct, wanted to protect her.

“The guy is just totally belligerently drunk and just kind of scary. He turned into a totally different person, and so I got his granddaughter away until things kind of simmered down, because I didn’t know what was really going on,” Jope said to KCRA3. “I just wanted to make sure she was safe and that she’s OK.”

Jope then took the child to her encampment to play with her dog and eat some food.

The child confirmed Jope’s story with officials and didn’t appear to be in distress. She was medically cleared as a precaution, according to the sheriff’s office.

“I’m glad I was walking when I was cause you know she could have been left with some, some man or, you know, someone who doesn’t want to watch her. Someone that doesn’t really care,” Jope said to KXTV.

Bar owner Andy Soto helped officials search for the girl. He said Warren was a first-time customer but noticed red flags due to his behavior.

“Thankfully I was able to go through some of the information with them and show them the angles and the actual physical description of the person who took the child,” Soto said to KCRA3.

“This guy was being very erratic, being very loud and ultimately was asked to leave,” he continued. “He kind of scared a couple of other customers and then about 20 minutes later was asked to go away.”

“It’s kind of a serious thing. Where’s your granddaughter? Why are you at a bar drinking if you’re in charge of this child’s life? It’s really not where you need to be,” Soto added. “Hopefully he gets whatever help he needs. I’m glad that the girl was found safely.”

The young girl’s aunt had full custody and asked Warren to watch her because she had to work. The child is now home with her aunt.

Warren was arrested for felony child endangerment and other charges. He is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail on $75,000 bail and is set to appear in court on May 8.