TAVARES, Florida—A man who told police he left an infant in the car because he did not want the rain to get her wet, was arrested for child neglect after Tavares Fire Department rescued the baby from a car with only the windows cracked open.
A man told Tavares Police Department he arrived at Publix, 2101 State Road 19, Tavares around 5:30 p.m. Sunday and parked next to a small, white car with the windows cracked open and noticed a baby in the car. He flagged down an employee who was gathering carts and she called 9-1-1, according to an arrest affidavit.
TFD and TPD arrived on the scene and found the baby in a rear-facing car seat behind the driver’s seat and TFD forced a window down and rescued the baby girl. Her exact age was not listed in the affidavit.
“The infant was visibly sweating and appeared clammy,” the arresting officer noted in the affidavit. “The infant also had labored breathing.”
TPD contacted a manager who made an announcement for the registered owner, Keita Jones, to come to customer service; Jones ran up shortly after the announcement and said he owned the vehicle and the baby was inside, the affidavit states.
Jones told police he was shopping for an Instacart order, and he did want to get the baby wet because it was raining; he said he left her in the car with the windows slightly down and he did not think he had been in the store very long. Surveillance video later showed the infant was in the car from 5:21 p.m. to 6:06 p.m. – 45 minutes.
TFD used a device to determine the temperature of the car seat and found it was between 100 and 105 degrees. Jones, 27, was arrested for child neglect and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $2,000 bond.
