A 33-year-old Florida woman was arrested after police said she left her two young children alone in a hot car outside a Walmart store. The incident occurred on July 11 in Melbourne.
Lovenia Brooks was charged with two counts of child neglect. Police said she left the children, including an infant, in her red Mitsubishi SUV parked in a fire lane while she went inside the store to buy PediaSure.
A bystander called police after seeing the children by themselves. The car was not running and had its windows rolled down. The baby was crying, and the bystander reported that Brooks returned after nine minutes.
Officers pulled her over shortly afterward for a traffic stop. They found one child improperly buckled and the other unsecured. The temperature reached 96.6 degrees Fahrenheit that day amid a heat advisory.
Brooks told police she was trying to get one thing done quickly. She was booked into the Brevard County Jail and released on July 13 after posting bond. Her next court date is scheduled for Aug. 6.