An American woman was arrested in Florida because cops say she left her young granddaughter alone in a hot car while she went to Publix to buy food.
On Tuesday, Elena Grady’s 2-year-old granddaughter was found alone in a hot car in the Publix parking lot. She was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and charged with abuse of a child causing bodily harm.
Jail records show that Grady was freed just after midnight on Wednesday after paying a $3,000 bond.
Around 3 p.m., Volusia County sheriff’s officers went to the Publix on Roscommon Drive in Ormond Beach to help. The department said on Facebook that on Tuesday, shop managers saw a child sitting alone in a parked car.
The post said the child “looked sleepy” in the car, which was “parked in full sun, no shade, not running, with the windows cracked.”
A Publix manager was able to open the car door with his or her bare hands and bring the child inside to cool off. Then Grady went up to 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.
The sheriff’s office says it was 91 degrees outside with a heat index of 101 degrees when the child was left in the car. It was also found that the child had been in the car by himself for sixteen minutes.
On Facebook, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office reminded people how quickly temperatures can rise inside an unlocked car. They said that on a 90-degree day, cars can reach 120 degrees in 30 minutes and 138 degrees after 90 minutes.
“Let’s avoid tragedy and remember NOT to leave kids, pets, or adults who are easily hurt in a hot car, even if it’s only for a few minutes,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
