(VIA WKRN Nashville) It could be that there is something about Walmart parking lots, or more and more parents are disregarding the serious danger that is leaving their child in a vehicle unattended. Yesterday a mother in Nashville, Tennessee, was arrested and charged with three felony counts of child endangerment after leaving three children unattended inside of her car while she was shopping. Witnesses reported the children to security, who were able to call the police to assist the children. Once the police arrived on scene, they found that the children had been left in the vehicle with the keys still in the ignition. With none of the children older than 4 years-old, this is obviously a situation which would be very dangerous to the children involved. Whether it could have been an automotive theft which could have occurred, or vehicular heat stroke from the temperature inside of the vehicle, this mother clearly put her children in harm’s way.
When the mother returned back to the vehicle she told officers on the scene that she had just run into the store “for a minute”. However, officers reviewed surveillance tape inside of the Walmart and discovered that the woman had been inside of the store for at least 45 minutes. Fortunately for the children, this occurred later in the day, otherwise the results could have been deadly.
Image of the woman charged with three counts of felony child endangerment in connection with this incident.
Helpful Tips:
- Leave your cellphone in the child’s car seat
- Put an item in child’s seat when it is empty, but move it to the front when they are riding along
- Educate your child on the dangers of being left in a car, so they can identify a dangerous situation no matter who they are with
- Never leave your child in the vehicle!