A Florida woman was arrested on July 11 after authorities said she left her two young children inside a hot vehicle while she went into a Walmart in Melbourne, Florida.
Lovenia Brooks, 33, faces two counts of child neglect following the incident. According to an arrest affidavit, a bystander called police after discovering a baby and a second young child unattended inside a red Mitsubishi SUV parked in the store’s fire lane. The vehicle was not running, though the windows were rolled down.
The bystander told police the infant was actively upset and crying. According to surveillance footage reviewed by investigators, the children were left alone for nine minutes before Brooks exited the store and returned to the SUV. The witness stated that Brooks then drove away recklessly, nearly causing a collision.
Melbourne Police Department officers located and stopped the vehicle shortly after. Upon inspection, officers found the children in the back seat; one was improperly buckled into a rear-facing car seat, while the other was entirely unsecured.
When questioned by officers about leaving the children behind, Brooks stated that she was “just quickly running inside” to purchase PediaSure for one of her children. According to the affidavit, when asked why she did not bring them into the store, Brooks responded that “she should have and that she was just trying to get one thing done.”
National Weather Service records noted that the ambient air temperature in Melbourne reached 96.6 degrees Fahrenheit that day, and a heat advisory was actively in effect during the time the children were in the car.
In addition to the child neglect charges, Brooks received traffic citations for leaving a child in a vehicle, failing to properly restrain an infant, and driving without a seat belt. Brooks was booked into the Brevard County Jail following a medical evaluation. She was released on July 13 after posting bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 6.
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