Police have arrested a 23-year-old Birmingham woman after she left her infant in a hot, locked car, while she done some shopping.
Deidra Nicole Williams was charged with the wilful abuse of a child under the age of 18.
According to court records, the woman was booked in to the Shelby County Jail and released the following day after posting a $5,000 bond. One of bond requirements is that she has no contact with the little baby.
After the victim was found, police and firefighters were called to rescue the 5-month-old child from the locked vehicle.
It’s still unclear as to how long the infant was in the car as investigators initially believed that the infant had been in the vehicle for only a short amount of time, but the police later said that it could have been for an extended period of time, but they did not know the exact amount of time.
According to Alabaster police Chief Curtis Rigney, the car windows were rolled up, the car was locked and was not running. The temperature outside of the car was said to be about 102 degrees at the time the baby was discovered. Rigney said that he is not sure what the temperature was inside the car.
The Police Chief also confirmed that while the baby was left in the vehicle, the Mother shopped in Dollar General.
The baby was fortunately conscious when rescued and was taken to Shelby Baptist Medical Center to be checked out.
“I would say within five or 10 more minutes, that baby would have been dead. I just want to remind people that in this kind of weather, remind yourself of who all is in the vehicle.” Rigney said.
Since the beginning of 2016, at least 16 children have died in the U.S after being left in hot cars.