ROSWELL, Ga. — A metro Atlanta mother was arrested Tuesday after police say she left two children inside a locked car in 90-plus degree temperatures while she went shopping.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Officers responded to reports of two children in a car outside a Dollar Tree on Holcomb Bridge Road. The temperature at the time was around 93 degrees.
Officers found a 3-month-old baby and a 5-year-old child inside the car, which had the windows rolled up and was not running.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Kim Kardashian accused of damaging iconic Marilyn Monroe dress worn to Met Gala
- 16-year-old girl on dance team known for reality show shot, killed outside Kroger
- ‘Deeply honored:’ Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms set to join the Biden Administration
Officers quickly unlocked the car and got the children out and found that they were showing early signs of heat-related illness.
Officers made an announcement over the store’s loudspeaker and were met by the children’s mother, Eneilu Espinoza.
She told officers she had only stopped in the store for a few minutes.
Espinoza was taken into custody. The 3-month-old baby was taken to a hospital to be checked out and the 5-year-old was taken to the Roswell Police Department and released to his father, who wasn’t at the scene at the time of the incident.
She’s been charged with two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree and two counts of reckless conduct.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“The Roswell Police Department would like to remind the public that in the current climate, minutes can be deadly,” police said in a statement. “Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in very quickly in these temperatures in an outside environment, let alone inside of a sealed car. If you cannot bring your children inside your destination, leave them at home in the care of a responsible guardian.”
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/06-15-2022/t_0090c61b6787449ca894d3b4c568da0e_name_DoorDash_driver_shoots_ChickfilA_employe_62a9c804622e330367eb3f91_1_Jun_15_2022_12_13_43_poster.jpg)
©2022 Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ZAYTSGF2CZF63ENV6SO45VPLWY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/CEUTW7B2JNERRP5OOHPUXJNJSM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/52HBRCB5XNBZFBTDTWQOATS6DI.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/RSCRRD3KOFC2NPQQDYGHMGHL5Y.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/FRDLSPMFEVAT7C27HKYW3E2AUE.png)