A Maryland mother was arrested after her young son called the cops because he and six other kids were left alone and unsupervised inside her car.
The 37-year-old woman in question left a total of seven children aged between 2 and 4 years old so that she could get some shopping done at a St. Charles mall.
Temperatures that day were as warm as 80 °F, meaning that in just a few minutes, the car became unbearably hot, skyrocketing to dangerous levels.
The mother left her car doors unlocked, but she also told the children not to get out of the car at all.
She left the windows closed, leaving her own two kids as well as five children she was babysitting on their own.
Time passed slowly and the children become more and more hot and sweaty. Eventually, four-year-old son reached for a phone left behind in the car and used it to dial 911.
Although he wasn’t sure where they were parked, police used some technological methods, descriptions, and GPS to determine the location of the vehicle.
Authorities and responders soon reached the location and let the kids out of the car. They were all frightened and sweaty but, thankfully, were alright.
EMS responders as well as Charles County Fire department responders tended to them and administered basic treatment, and none were in a bad condition that warranted a hospital trip.
Around 10 minutes after first responders arrived, the mother returned to find the shocking scene unfolding.
Authorities attempted to question her as to why she left the children alone, or even just as to what she was doing in the mall, but she refused to provide any answers.
The woman was then arrested and is now receiving charges of child confinement within a vehicle. More charges are currently pending.
Even more shockingly, the car only had one car seat for kids – making the overcrowded conditions even more neglectful.
The Department of Social Services is also on the case and assisting in investigations.
The Charles County sheriff’s office released a statement reminding everyone that leaving any kid under eight years of age alone and unattended in a car, unless a trustworthy individual aged 13 or older is around to supervise them, is illegal.
They also spoke of the dangers regarding the quickly rising temperatures within parked cars.
Though more and more awareness is being spread regarding the dangers of leaving young children or pets in unwatched vehicles but reported cases are still steadily climbing.
Across 21 years, the most cases were found in 2018 over any other year. There is truly no excuse for this kind of negligent and harmful behavior.
It should be common knowledge by now that you simply shouldn’t leave children or pets unattended inside vehicles without any air conditioning, even on days that don’t feel that warm to you.
Within an hour, 60-degree days can lead to inner temperatures of over 100 degrees inside cars.
While they can be unbearable for grown-ups, they are potentially deadly to young kids and animals.
