4-year-old spent 8 hours unnoticed in Milwaukee city tow lot after mother's drunken-driving arrest

A 4-year-old girl whose mother was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving early Tuesday was found crying in her family's van hours after it was towed to the city's tow lot.

The girl had been in the van about eight hours before a tow lot operator heard her crying.

The girl's mother was pulled over around midnight by Milwaukee police on suspicion of drunken driving near South 39th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue, City Engineer Jeff Polenske said. A 10-month-old baby was taken out of the vehicle but the mother apparently didn't mention the 4-year-old.

Vehicles should be "thoroughly searched" at the scene prior to being towed, under the Milwaukee Police Department's standard operating procedure.

The van was placed on a flatbed truck by the city's towing contractor and taken to the tow lot on Lincoln Avenue. At the lot, all vehicles are supposed to be inspected with someone from the lot getting on the flatbed to record vehicle identification and license plate numbers and using a flashlight to inspect vehicles, Polenske said.

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No one noticed the girl in the van.

"Obviously this is something that's alarming to us," Polenske said. "We definitely don't want this to happen."

The girl wasn't found until about 8:30 a.m. when she was heard "very upset and crying."

The Fire Department was called to check the girl for exposure after eight hours in cold weather. It appeared the girl was OK but she was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

The temperature overnight Tuesday dropped to 18 degrees.

Polenske said protocols were being reviewed to examine vehicles more thoroughly.

A spokeswoman for Milwaukee police said Tuesday morning she was still gathering information about the incident.