Two young boys left alone in vehicle overnight during ‘vandalism spree,’ police say

A man allegedly left his two young boys, a 10-month-old and 3-year-old, alone in a vehicle overnight during a drug-fueled “vandalism spree” that ended when he was arrested, the Merced Police Department reported.

Joshua Jaboneta, 34, was arrested around 9 p.m. Tuesday and interviewed by police regarding a string of vandalism-related crimes. Jaboneta, who police described as being heavily under the influence of drugs, never told officers he had two young boys waiting for him in a vehicle, Lt. Christopher Goodwin said.

Jaboneta was in custody at the Merced County jail for about 12 hours before officers learned anything about his children. An out-of-state relative of Jaboneta’s contacted police around 10 a.m. Wednesday, asking about the children, police said.

“That was the very first we’d heard anything about him having any children with him,” Goodwin said in a telephone interview. “He never mentioned having the kids with him or said anything about even having a vehicle.”

Police quickly located the children, who were not injured, but cold. They were located in child-safety seats in the backseat of a vehicle in the 200 block of West 18th Street, Goodwin said.

Both boys were examined at an area hospital and officials with Child Protective Services were notified, police said.

Jaboneta was initially arrested around 9 p.m. Tuesday after what police described as a string of crimes, including kicking in doors of closed businesses, smashing a window at a private home, and ripping the screen door off another, officers said in the news release.

Damage estimates were not available Wednesday.

Goodwin acknowledged investigators had a difficult time determining what Jaboneta’s alleged motive may have been.

“Because of the fact he appeared to be very, very heavily under the influence of narcotics, they couldn’t get almost any statement out of him,” Goodwin said. “He did, at one point, say he’d been looking for ‘a woman,’ but did not provide further details.”

At one point, police said, Jaboneta entered a home in the 100 block of West 18th Street and grabbed a woman – picking her up and then putting her down. He told her that she was not the one that he was looking for,” police said in the prepared statement.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Officers found Jaboneta in an alley in the first block of West Main Street and placed him under arrest. He was booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of vandalism, several counts of trespassing and being under the influence of a narcotic, police said.

Determining Jaboneta’s city of residence has been challenging for investigators, Goodwin said, as Jaboneta did not possess any legitimate identification. Police suspect he may be from Nevada.

Investigators added an additional allegation of felony child endangerment against Jaboneta when the children were located the following morning. He was still in custody Wednesday evening with bail set at more than $52,000, according to booking records.

Goodwin said officers have not ruled out the possibility of seeking additional charges against Jaboneta as the investigation continues.

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Two young boys left alone in vehicle overnight during ‘vandalism spree,’ police say."