IndianaLocalNews

Mom charged with neglect after baby found in hot car

Heather Hudson, 34, of North Liberty (Photo supplied/St. Joseph County Jail)

A 34-year-old North Liberty woman was charged with neglect of a dependent after police say she left her 3-month-old son in a hot car while shopping in South Bend over the weekend.

Heather Hudson is set to be arraigned on the neglect charge Wednesday afternoon, according to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.

Security footage shows Hudson parking her car at a Ross Dress for Less store in South Bend just before 1:45 p.m. June 26 and walking inside the store with her 10-year-old daughter, according to court documents.

A nurse who parked nearby after 2 p.m. heard the baby screaming and saw it was flailing its armed locked inside the vehicle, according to court documents. A nearby off-duty officer used his lockout tools to unlock the car door and get the infant out of the vehicle.

The baby was checked out at a local hospital. Doctors determined he was OK.

The temperature was about 84 degrees at the time. Studies have shown that car interiors can get up to 113 degrees within half of an hour if the outside temperature is at 84 degrees, according to court documents.

Officers used the intercom system at Ross Dress for Less to call the owner of the vehicle to the front of the store at about 2:30 p.m. Hudson told police her son fell asleep in the car on the 30-minute drive from North Liberty to South Bend and she forgot he was there. She intended to shop at several stores with her daughter that afternoon.

“The Prosecutor’s Office would like to commend the actions of a concerned bystander who notified police officers, as well as the police officers and first responders who quickly and diligently worked to remove the child from the vehicle and ensure it was safe,” Jessica McBrier said.

Hudson faces up to 2 1/2 years in prison if convicted of the level 6 felony.

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