A Calgary man has been charged with child abandonment following a Calgary Police Service investigation into his alleged decision to leave his seven-year-old son in a vehicle outside a casino on Sunday.

According to police, crews were called to Pure Casino, in the 1400 block of Meridian Road Northeast, on Sunday evening after the boy entered the building and was met by casino staff. The boy indicated that he had been in his father’s vehicle in the lot for nearly two hours.

Police say the temperature at the time was minus 24C with the windchill and the vehicle was not left running.

“It’s disheartening and upsetting to hear such a thing, that somebody would do that,” said Acting Staff Sergeant Darren Abar of the Calgary Police Service.

Casino employees took the boy to the office and provided him with mittens. Attempts to page his father were unsuccessful and police were called.

The father returned to the casino a short time later to look for his son and police arrested the man. The child was removed from the man’s custody and is now in the care of the province.

The man has been charged with child abandonment. His identity has not been released to protect his son’s identity.

With files from CTV’s Chris Epp