A judge ruled Thursday that Kyle Seitz, the Ridgefield man charged with killing his son by leaving him in a hot car, will not serve prison time.
Police say Seitz forgot to drop off his son, Ben, at day care last July and left the toddler in his SUV all day while he went to work. Seitz insists that he thought the boy was at day care, but prosecutors pointed out that he went in and out of the car nine times that day.
The judge said during sentencing that Seitz has already been punished enough by losing his son and having his marriage tested.
Seitz can now leave Connecticut and go to Colorado, where his wife and two other children moved after the incident took place. He will, however, have to take counseling classes for the next two years as part of his conditional release.
Seitz pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide under the Alford Doctrine, which means he did not admit guilt but agreed the prosecution had enough evidence to convict him if the case went to trial.
Seitz's wife has become a vocal activist for preventing hot car deaths.