Avon Man Charged With Risk of Injury; WFSB Anchor Called 911

A 44-year-old Avon man who allegedly left his sleeping child unattended in the backseat of an SUV in Corbin’s Corner was charged last week with risk of injury to a child, said.

The child was found by officers in a safety seat in a locked Honda Pilot Sept. 22 while Geoffrey Ringer was inside for about 13 minutes, police said. The child was not injured.

A 911 call was made at 11:05 a.m. by Dennis House, longtime news anchor for WFSB, Channel 3.

“As a parent I think we did the right thing,” House said Tuesday. “It was kind of a warm day. And in this day and age, you can’t be sure what can happen.”

House said he just pulled into the parking lot and was getting out of his car when he was alerted by a Farmington woman who was parked near the SUV.

“She looked alarmed,” House said. “She said something along the lines, ‘Excuse me, can you help me, there is a baby alone in that car and I don’t know what to do.’”

Ringer, of 216 Stagecoach Road in Avon, was released on a $10,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court Oct. 6, police said. He is listed in directories as a physician.

Risk of injury to a child is a Class C felony.

“We looked around and didn’t see anyone so my instincts as a parent kicked in,” House said. “There are so many stories of kids being left in cars and so much awareness about this, it surprised me.”

House, also moderator of “Face the State,” recently was named in Hartford Magazine as one of the 12 most influential people in Hartford County.