Dad accused of leaving child in car while he was drinking

A Minneapolis man is being held at the Hennepin County Jail after leaving his 1-year-old son alone in a truck while he was inside a bar drinking, authorities said.

Shortly after midnight on Saturday, Amalio Vargas-Garcia, 33, tried to enter the Champion's Sports Bar and Grill in Minneapolis with his son, according to Minneapolis police Spokesman Sgt. William Palmer.

An off-duty police officer working security and a bouncer told Vargas-Garcia the boy couldn't enter the restaurant at that hour, Palmer said.

Vargas-Garcia left the restaurant and returned about half an hour later without the boy.

Officials say the off-duty officer became concerned and went out to the parking lot, where he found the child asleep in a pickup truck, according to the police report.

Vargas-Garcia was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. The boy was taken home to his mother.

Vargas-Garcia remained at the Hennepin County Jail Monday morning, where his bail was set at $1,000. His first court appearance has not been scheduled yet.