California Dad Rescued From Ocean Facing Child Endangerment Charges

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A California father rescued from the ocean will be booked on charges of child endangerment after authorities say he left his 6-year-old daughter alone in their car in a parking lot for hours.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to report of the girl crying and looking for her father, 39-year-old German Sotelo, at a beachside parking lot in Carpinteria late Tuesday.

Deputies searching for Sotelo from a helicopter spotted him walking along the beach. When Sotelo saw the helicopter, deputies say he jumped into the ocean and swam away.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Sotelo more than an hour later. He'll be booked after he is medically cleared from a hospital.

Deputies say the girl was scared but uninjured and was turned over to her mother.