Published August 24, 2001
Molly McGinn, Staff Writer
Greensboro News & Record
A woman accused of leaving her sister's 20-month-old baby unattended in a locked car Thursday has been charged with misdemeanor neglect.
The child was unharmed, but police say the charge stems from leaving the toddler in a dangerous environment.
"A vehicle parked on an asphalt parking lot, you can barely touch the vehicle and feel the heat coming off,'' Lt. Larry Casterline said.
Police say Martha Oceguera parked at the High Point Surgery Center to pick up her sister, a patient there. She locked the doors, leaving her sister's 20-month-old child sleeping in the car, police said.
Ten minutes later, about 9:30 a.m., someone noticed the child and called police. Firefighters, emergency medical crews and police unlocked the door and got the child out before Oceguera returned to the car.
"The engine was off, and the windows were rolled up,'' said Casterline. Police called the weather service for the temperature: 72 degrees.
Oceguera, 31, of 617 Birdwood Drive, is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 4.
"She was extremely remorseful,'' Casterline said. ``I just don't think she was cognizant of what she was doing. She's pregnant, almost full-term, and she has a patient in the center."
In July, a 6-month-old Mooresville baby died of heatstroke after being locked in his father's car for at least nine hours. Also last month, a Gastonia mother left her 4-year-old child in the car while she went into the library for 30 minutes. The child survived.
Nationally, 39 children have died while left unattended in hot cars this year.
High Point police could not say how often they respond to children left unattended in cars, partly because a charge of neglect is used in any situation when a child under the age of 18 is left in a dangerous environment. It can apply to making a 12-year-old shoplift or leaving children in an unsanitary environment. The charge could also apply to a 16-year-old left alone in a parking lot, where the car could be stolen.The law isn't specific about age or other factors because several conditions could threaten a child's safety, said Lt. Mary Sumner, a spokesman for the High Point Police Department.
"It could be 50 degrees and be dangerous,'' Casterline said.
It's a matter of judgment, for parents and police, Sumner said.
"You just have to use common sense,'' he said.