Police: Georgia woman left 2 children in hot car as she shopped at Dollar Tree

ROSWELL, Ga. — A Georgia woman is accused of leaving her two children unattended inside a locked car in temperatures that topped 90 degrees while she shopped at a Dollar Tree, authorities said.

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According to a news release from the Roswell Police Department, Eneilu Espinoza, 27, was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct.

Officers responded to reports of two children in a vehicle outside a Dollar Tree store in Roswell, WSB-TV reported. The temperature at the time was 93 degrees, according to the television station. The officers discovered a 3-month-old and a 5-year-old in the vehicle, police said in the news release.

The vehicle was unlocked, but its windows were rolled up and the engine was not running, police said.

Police made an announcement inside the store and were met by Espinoza, who told police she was only stopping inside the store for a few minutes. according to the news release.

Espinoza was arrested and booked into the Fulton County Jail. The 3-month-old child was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and the 5-year-old was released to his father, who was not at the scene at the time of the incident, WSB reported.

“The Roswell Police Department would like to remind the public that in the current climate, minutes can be deadly,” Roswell police said 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.”

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