Man Arrested as Mother, 100, Is Left in Car

Police arrested a man who left his 100-year-old mother reading in the car while he visited a fair--even though that’s where she wanted to be.

Leonard Wohlander, 74, and his mother, Ada Foosha, said she enjoys taking a ride twice daily and routinely sits in the parked car reading while her son runs errands.

She did the same thing recently while her son, his wife and two daughters went to the Great Geauga County Fair.

Foosha spent the time reading Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” She had been there about three hours when a parking attendant noticed her and called police.

Officers found Wohlander on the fairgrounds and arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of failing to support a dependent. He could face six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Police Chief Dennis Nichols said Foosha was in good condition, but he was shocked that she had been left in the car.

“She’s got the window open, she’s got food,” Wohlander responded.

He said his mother won’t let anyone be brought in to watch her.

“She’s content in the car because she reads her books and her papers,” he said.

Foosha said she was surprised by the fuss. “I always read. I don’t mind sitting there,” she said.