A Florida mother was arrested after it was discovered that she left her 3-year-old daughter in a hot car for two hours.
La’Tana Williams was arrested on the afternoon of Sunday, May 31, after police officers found her child left alone in a hot car for two hours, according to a press release shared by the DeLand Police Department.
Williams, 27, has seemingly not yet been booked into jail as of Tuesday, June 2, according to online records viewed by Us Weekly. Following her arrest, she was hospitalized after having an allergic reaction to the stainless steel handcuffs police put on her.
Officers learned that the child was left in the hot car after they received a 911 call reporting that the child was seen by a good samaritan. The caller said that the car appeared to be hot and he requested that an ambulance report to the scene.
“We need an ambulance here right now. Please hurry,” the caller said, per Fox 35 Orlando.
The caller also told the dispatcher that he didn’t know if the child was breathing, though said she appeared to be having a seizure and was turning blue.
First responders arrived around 4:30 p.m. and the girl was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Police said that her outlook now looks positive after she was treated for heat exhaustion, which included elevated body temperature and lethargy.
Police said that Williams was visiting a plasma donation center at the time her daughter was left in the car. She reportedly told police that she kept the car on with her daughter in a car seat and the air-conditioning on cold, according to an arrest affidavit viewed by the outlet.
She also claimed that she was watching her daughter through FaceTime while she was donating plasma, though found her daughter unconscious and not breathing when she returned to the car.
However, Captain P. Dice said that Williams’ version of events did not seem to line up with their investigation.
“Based on our investigation, that is not true,” Dice said during a press conference on June 1. “The car was not running, the car was off, the windows were up and the child was suffering.”
Williams has since been arrested and was charged with child neglect. It is not currently clear if she has entered a plea or retained legal counsel.
The DeLand Police Department did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing. Police have asked that anyone with information regarding the case contact the DeLand Police Department at 386-626-7400.
