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Woman arrested for leaving children unattended in hot car
Two children were found in a car parked in front of a Roswell store. The windows were rolled up, the engine was off, and the doors were unlocked. Police said the children were showing early signs of heat exhaustion.
ROSWELL, Ga. - A mother was arrested and charged after police say she left her 5-year-old and 3-month-old children in a hot car while she shopped at a Roswell Dollar Tree.
Police said Eneilu Espinoza, 27, faces charges of first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct after someone reported seeing two kids alone in a closed car in the parking lot on Holcomb Bridge Road.
Officers went to the scene along Holcomb Bridge Road around 1 p.m. after receiving a 911 call. Police said officers found the car unlocked, the engine off, and the windows rolled up. At the time it was 93 degrees outside. Heat Index values were upwards of 100 in metro Atlanta on Tuesday.
Officers found the mother shopping inside after asking store managers to make an announcement over the store's public address system. She told officers she had only been in the store a few minutes.
Eneilu Espinoza (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
Police said the children were "showing early signs of heat-related illness." The 3-month-old was rushed to an area hospital for evaluation. The 5-year-old was taken to the Roswell Police Department and was later released to the child's father who was not there at the time.
"The Roswell Police Department would like to remind the public that in the current climate, minutes can be deadly," Roswell police wrote 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."
Espinoza was booked into the Fulton County Jail.