ROSWELL — Roswell police removed two children from a car outside the Dollar Tree on Holcomb Bridge Road after a witness saw the children in the car unattended and alerted police.
Roswell E911 received a call from a witness in the parking lot of the Dollar Tree at 608 Holcomb Bridge Rd. at about 1 p.m. Tuesday. That person reported seeing two young children unattended inside of a car in the parking lot.
Officers immediately responded and found a 3-month-old and a 5-year-old child inside the car, which was unlocked and turned off with the windows rolled up.
Both children were removed from the car, but were showing early signs of heat-related illness. The outside temperature at the time was 93 degrees.
Investigating officers made an announcement over the store loudspeaker, and were soon met by the children’s mother, 27-year-old Eneilu Espinoza, who stated that she was only stopping inside for a few minutes.
Espinoza was taken into custody on scene and transported to the Fulton County Jail. The 3-month-old child was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, and the 5-year-old child was taken to the Roswell Police Department prior to being released to his father, who was not on scene at the time of the incident.
Espinoza was charged with 1st-degree cruelty to children and reckless conduct.
The Roswell Police Department is reminding the public that in the current climate, minutes can be deadly. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in very quickly in these temperatures in an outside environment, let alone inside of a sealed car. If you cannot bring your children inside your destination, leave them at home in the care of a responsible guardian.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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