A local woman was arrested for child neglect Saturday night for leaving her 9-month old infant unattended in the backseat of a car, Assistant Chief Jeremy Magri said.
Magri said officers were dispatched to a local grocery store around 6:55 p.m. after receiving a call about a child being left in a vehicle alone.
Upon arrival, the officer approached the vehicle and found an infant in the car seat soaked in sweat, Magri said.
The officer entered the vehicle and removed the child. A short time later, a lady approached the vehicle claiming to be the mother of the child, Magri said.
Mary Rodgers, 34, was taken into custody for child neglect, Magri said, and the child was released to the custody of a family member.
Lacy Griffin, who was on the scene when the child was discovered, said that the child was covered in sweat and had also been hidden beneath a cloth in the backseat of the cluttered vehicle.
According to Griffin, the infant was not strapped into the car seat properly, causing the child to slide down the seat into a position that caused the harness to tighten around the neck.
Griffin said that two other children were with Rodgers when she left the grocery store, and the family member picked them up along with the infant.