Police say a mother left her child in a hot car as a punishment
Jul 5, 2019, 2:56 PM | Updated: 3:18 pm
FILE: Handcuffs, Stock image. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
DRAPER — A mother is under arrest for leaving her child in a hot car, police say. The mother allegedly left her 4-year-old child in a car with no air conditioning as a form of punishment, police say.
The mother, Jesica Lee Brown, 28, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday. Police are investigating Brown for child endangerment and child abuse.
At about 9 p.m. on Tuesday a witness saw a child inside a car at Draper City Park, according to a police affidavit. Police arrived on scene to investigate.
“It was approximately still 82 degrees outside as I arrived on scene,” the officer stated in the affidavit. “I determined that the vehicle the child was in also was not turned on, and all windows were indeed rolled up.”
The officer located the mother. She said her 4-year-old son was “acting out” at the park, according to police. She then placed him in the car as “punishment,” the report states.
The officer stated that the child’s forehead was “hot to the touch,” and the child was sweating. The officer also described the child as having puffy eyes, according to the affidavit.
In addition to the high heat in the car, the child was reportedly within reach of syringe needles in the back seat. Police located drug paraphernalia in the mother’s purse.
The report states that Brown admitted to using methamphetamine and heroin.
