Garland (Ark.) County Circuit Judge Wade Naramore was charged with misdemeanor negligent homicide yesterday, more than six months after leaving his 17-month-old son Thomas in the car on a hot afternoon in July.

Per authorities, Naramore, 36, surrendered to police in Hot Springs, Ark. on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. According to an affidavit Naramore gave on Nov. 23, as reported by Arkansas Online, he forgot to drop his son off at daycare on the day of July 24 and only realized he had left him in the car when he went to pick him up some five hours later:

Naramore told police that he and his son “said their morning prayers” while he was traveling to work about 8:15 a.m. July 24. During the drive, Naramore said he also stopped for breakfast at a McDonald’s, adding that it was unusual for him and that he usually prepared breakfast at home.

After leaving work early that day, Naramore said, he ran some errands and went home. That afternoon, he left his residence to pick his son up from day care.

“As he turned a corner, he heard a noise in the rear of his car which caused him to turn around,” the affidavit states. “As he turned around, he noticed Thomas was in his car seat and had not been dropped off at day care.”

At that point, Naramore said, he “immediately stopped the car, got Thomas out of his car seat and called for help,” according to police. He told authorities that his son had been in the car for about five hours.

The explanation given by Naramore, who said he was worried that day about a big court case, is similar to those described in a 2009 Washington Post story about parents whose children had died after being left in cars. In his 911 call, Naramore can be heard crying and wailing “no” as he waits for paramedics to be dispatched. Audio of that is below, if you can stomach it:

Contact the author at jordan@gawker.com / image via Garland County Sherrif