A man from Arizona, who is accused of first-degree murder in the case of his 2-year-old daughter’s hot car death, has been given the green light by the court to go on a family holiday to Hawaii.
In early April, 37-year-old Christopher Scholtes asked for permission to take a vacation with his family, which the court approved, allowing him to travel to Hawaii in May, as stated by KSBY.
As reported by CrimeOnline, Scholtes’ young daughter tragically died after being left in a hot car for around three hours outside their home in Marana. Initially, he faced charges of second-degree murder.
His 16-year-old daughter told KVOA that her father often left her alone in the car—sometimes for hours at a time—when she was as young as 7.
“Actually, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. [Once,] I had to go sit out in the car for four to five hours and continuously had to restart the car and had only eaten once that day,” she told the news outlet.
According to an interim complaint, Scholtes’ other two children, ages 9 and 5, said it was typical for Scholtes to leave them alone in the vehicle. They added that on the day in question, Scholtes “got distracted by playing his game and putting his food away” while their sister was in the car.
Despite objections from prosecutors, Pima County Judge Kimberly Ortiz approved Scholtes’ 10-day vacation with a few conditions. Scholtes is to have no unsupervised contact with his children and is required to contact Pretrial Services before, during, and after his trip.
Scholtes is awaiting trial, which is scheduled for October 2025. He faces the possibility of life in prison, according to KGUN.
