Police Say Milton Man Got High, Left Toddler in Freezing Car Overnight

MILTON, Wash. (AP) — A Milton man has been accused of leaving his toddler daughter in a freezing car overnight after driving her home while intoxicated.

Pierce County prosecutors say Michael A. Dufour pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of criminal mistreatment, abandonment of a dependent person and possession of methamphetamine.

Charging documents say Milton police received a call Saturday morning about an abandoned child.

When an officer arrived, he found a car in the driveway with the windows rolled down. Police say Dufour was standing in the home's doorway, holding a 15-month-old girl.

Police say she was naked, red and lethargic. Hospital staff said she had frostbitten hands and feet and was hypothermic.

Police say Dufour had meth in his pocket.

Dufour said the drug was not his and the girl's mother was trying to set him up.