Police have arrested a woman after she allegedly left her child in a hot car while she watched a movie in the cinema.
According to a press release by the Lake City Police Department, the incident occurred on Saturday, July 19, at around 5:50 PM. Concerned bystanders called the emergency services after they saw a child locked in a car outside Regal Cinema 90 in Lake City.
Authorities explain that the child was two years old and looked “visibly distressed” as troopers approached the vehicle. As the doors were locked, an officer had to break the driver’s side window to free the toddler. The child was “flushed, sweating, and crying,” per the statement.
Upon freeing the two-year-old, emergency services transported them to Lake City Medical Center for treatment.
The Child’s Mother Reportedly Left The Child In The Car After “Multiple Disruptions”
The Lake City Police Department reveals that the child’s mother, Tipora Merriex, took the child and her younger siblings to watch a movie. However, after “multiple disruptions in the theatre,” she took the two-year-old out of the screening and locked her in the car instead. Authorities clarified that witnesses confirmed Merriex left her child for an extended period.
Officers measured the temperature inside the vehicle at a scorching 107 degrees (41C). According to a report by Action News Jax, Merriex took her kids to watch the Smurfs movie. She allegedly took the two-year-old out into the lobby multiple times before locking her in the car. Per the New York Post, Merriex acted as if the situation wasn’t a big deal. Officers placed her under arrest and transported her to the Columbia County Detention Center.
Earlier this month, the Cobb County Police Department shared dramatic bodycam footage from their officers rescuing another child from a hot car. A father allegedly left his child in his vehicle with the windows slightly open while he went into the nearby mall. Even with the gap in the window, the temperature inside quickly soared to an unbearable 117 degrees (47 °C).
Officers shattered the front passenger window, rescued the child, and waited for the father to return. Authorities charged him with second-degree cruelty to children.