Rock Hill man accused of leaving infant in running car

A Rock Hill man was accused of child neglect Thursday after he jumped out of his vehicle as he was being sought by police, leaving an infant in the back seat of the running car.

Donovan Lamar Barber, 25, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child in connection with the Oct. 19 incident, according to a Rock Hill police report. Police found him Thursday and served the warrant at 440 Stoneycreek Lane, the report said. He also was served with two outstanding warrants.

Two Rock Hill officers were patrolling in the 300 block of Catherine Street on Oct. 19 when they saw a black Honda Accord with a tag that officers linked to Barber, who was wanted on warrants.

The vehicle was not parked behind Barber’s known home, so officers stopped nearby to wait for him, the report said. The officer later saw the Honda pull into a driveway at 336 Catherine St., the report said.

When one of the officers put the marked patrol car into reverse, the report said, a man who looked like Barber jumped out of the Honda and ran to the back of the Catherine Street home.

Officers found a sleeping infant in the back seat of the Honda. Residents of the Catherine Street home told police the Honda does not belong at the residence.

The mother of the abandoned child told police that Barber was the driver of the Honda, the report said. She told police that Barber had left the home of a babysitter with her child shortly before officers spotted him.

Officers contacted Barber by phone and asked him to turn himself in, but he declined. The vehicle was towed and the child was returned to the mother.

Barber was being held Friday at the Rock Hill jail.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Rock Hill man accused of leaving infant in running car."