A Florida woman was arrested after police said she left her toddler grandchild alone in a hot car while she went grocery shopping in Publix.
Elena Grady, 63, was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail for neglect of a child causing bodily harm after her 2-year-old grandchild was found unattended inside a hot car in the Publix parking lot on Tuesday.
Grady was released just after midnight on Wednesday after posting her $3,000 bond, jail records show.
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Volusia County sheriff’s deputies responded to the Publix on Roscommon Drive at Ormond Beach at around 3 p.m. Tuesday after managers at the store noticed a child alone inside the parked car, the department said on Facebook.
The child “appeared lethargic” inside the car, which was “parked in full sun, no shade, not running, with the windows cracked,” the post said.
A manager at Publix was able to reach into the car to unlock it and brought the toddler into the store to cool down. Grady then approached them inside the store and “took custody of the child.”
“[Grady] left Publix but was later located by deputies who also checked on the child and found her to be in good health,” the sheriff’s office said.
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When the toddler was left in the car, it was 91 degrees outside with a heat index of 101 degrees, according to the sheriff’s office. It was also determined that the toddler had been alone in the car for about 16 minutes.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office posted a reminder on Facebook about how quickly temperatures can rise inside a car that’s turned off, sharing that on a 90-degree day, cars can reach 120 degrees within 30 minutes and 138 degrees after 90 minutes.
“Let’s avoid tragedy and remember NOT to leave children, pets, or vulnerable adults in a hot vehicle even if it’s only supposed to be a few minutes,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
