LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – There’s never a bad time to remind people to check their cars and make sure they aren’t leaving little ones inside.
It happened to a Little Rock man yesterday and he was arrested after leaving a five month old in the car while he went in a store.
The baby was brought here to Children’s Hospital yesterday with a core temperature of 102 after responders did an examination.
That baby’s father now is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a minor.
Telaya Smith who is a mother herself said, “How? Honestly how? How could you leave your baby. How do you not know that you did not take your baby out of the car?”
Smith is the mother of a two month old baby, she says for her it’s like second nature.
” Instinct is to grab my baby immediately when I get out of the car”
Unfortunately that’s not what happened Thursday while Mohannad Ali went inside this Goodwill store in Little Rock, with his five month old baby still in the car.
A woman in the parking lot heard the baby crying and called 911.
Officer Eric Barnes from the LRPD said, ” from the time of the call and the evidence that officers were able to locate… they believe the father was in there for at least over 20 minutes.”
The 911 caller says she couldn’t see the baby because the windows were tinted so dark, but she kept hearing cries. She says while she was calling for help people started gathering around and then someone went inside the store to have the parent paged.
When first responders got there the baby was out of the car but needed medical treatment.
Officer Barnes said, ” the core body temperature… when it gets to the level of over 105 and things like that it’s very risky.”
Smith says even though she can’t imagine how something like this could happen it’s better to be extra cautious.
Smith says. “People get overwhelmed so it never hurts to double check and look in the back seat.”
Nationwide there have been 30 hot car child deaths so far this year. Thanks to that caller this baby did not make 31.
