Judge OKs Trip to Hawaii for Dad Charged With Murdering His Daughter

• Christopher Scholtes is charged with first-degree homicide after allegedly leaving his 2-year-old daughter alone in his automobile for 3 hours
• In April, a choose granted Scholtes’ request to journey along with his spouse and two surviving daughters to Hawaii from May 1 via May 9
• Scholtes not too long ago rejected a deal that might require him to enter a responsible plea to a lesser cost of second-degree homicide and can now head to trial in October

An Arizona father accused of murdering his daughter was allowed to trip along with his household forward of his trial later this 12 months.

Christopher Scholtes, 38, requested that he be capable of journey to Hawaii along with his spouse and two daughters from May 1 via May 9, in keeping with courtroom information filed in Pima County Superior Court and obtained by PEOPLE.

In an order filed on April 3, Judge Kimberly Ortiz agreed to listen to arguments on the matter, and after an April 15 listening to, finally determined to approve Scholtes’ request.

The journey got here 10 months after Scholtes’ 2-year-old daughter died after Scholtes allegedly left his 2-year-old daughter in his automobile alone whereas he performed video video games, in keeping with an interim criticism obtained by PEOPLE.

His spouse found the toddler three hours later, says the criticism, when she returned dwelling to seek out the toddler unconscious within the car.

The temperature within the car at the moment was 109 levels, in keeping with the criticism.

Scholtes allegedly advised detectives with the Marana Police Department that after working errands that day, he left his daughter within the automobile with the air-con on as a result of she was asleep in her automobile seat.

His automobile engine robotically turns off after half-hour — and Scholtes even advised detectives he was conscious of this, the criticism alleges.

Scholtes’s two surviving daughters, who have been 6 and 9 on the time, additionally allegedly advised detectives in interviews that their father had beforehand left them alone within the automobile for prolonged durations of time.

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The criticism particulars an alleged textual content alternate between Scholtes and his spouse, throughout which she allegedly writes, “I advised you to cease leaving them within the automobile, How many instances have I advised you?”

After reviewing the proof within the case, the Pima County Attorney’s Office filed fees of first-degree homicide and intentional youngster abuse towards Scholtes.

He entered pleas of not responsible to each fees at his arraignment, and courtroom information present that in March, Scholtes rejected a deal from prosecutors that might have lowered the cost to second-degree homicide if he agreed to enter a responsible plea.

Scholtes petitioned the courtroom for permission to journey to Maui along with his spouse and surviving kids from May 1 via May 9 simply days after rejecting that plea deal.

In her order approving the request, Judge Ortiz wrote that Scholtes would nonetheless be required to stick to all of the circumstances of his parole, and harassed that he should contact pretrial companies all through his journey and never have any unsupervised contact with kids, together with his personal.

Prosecutors then requested that the courtroom order Scholtes to give up his passport earlier than making the almost 3,000-mile journey to Hawaii, however Ortiz denied that movement, courtroom information present.

KOLD first reported on the courtroom approving Scholtes’ request to journey along with his household to Hawaii.

His homicide trial is ready to start on Oct. 27, having been pushed again from a deliberate September begin date.

If convicted, Scholtes might be sentenced to life in jail.