Aide to District Attorney Larry Krasner is charged with child endangerment

A policy adviser to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner was arrested Monday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly leaving her 4-year-old daughter unattended in her car for more than a half-hour.

Dana Lynn Bazelon, 40, was taken into custody about 3:30 p.m. on Rittenhouse Street near Lincoln Drive in West Mount Airy, according to Mark Shade, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office, which is handling the matter.

Bazelon joined the District Attorney’s Office when Krasner took over in January 2018 after running her own law practice and working for the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Her arrest was first reported by BigTrial.net.

Bazelon took her 6-year-old son for a walk and left her sleeping daughter in the backseat of her Ford Fusion with all four windows cracked but not enough for a person to be able to reach inside, a law-enforcement source said.

According to court records — which misspell Bazelon’s name as Bazemore — she was formally arrested Tuesday and released without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22 in Family Court, according to the records.

The endangerment charge is a felony because of the child’s age, said Bazelon’s attorney, James Funt, who spoke in her defense Tuesday.

“Dana Bazelon has spent her life and career caring for and protecting people,” Funt said. “Since before this pandemic began and especially during these last few trying months, Ms. Bazelon has worked tirelessly to protect victims of crime as well as all the citizens of Philadelphia.

“What is alleged today does not reflect the kind, caring, and loving mother she is. We are confident that when all of the facts are revealed, her true nature will be vindicated.”