Woman Charged For Leaving Child in Car

A Lilburn woman was charged with disorderly conduct after leaving her child in an unlocked car in the parking lot of a strip mall on Old Alabama Road.

On Aug. 3, a Johns Creek Police officer was dispatched to the shopping plaza following a complaint from an employee of the nearby Red Cross facility.

The employee was caring for the child that she said she found unattended in the backseat of the vehicle. The vehicle was not running, the windows were up, the doors were unlocked and the key was in the ignition. Several other bystanders were attending to the child. The outside temperature was 93 degrees with high humidity.

A woman identifying herself as the mother arrived on the scene a few minutes later. She said she left the child for a few minutes to go to work at a senior home and that her babysitter was in route. She said she did not want to wake the sleeping child.

The officer determined that the child was left unattended for about  14 to 20 minutes and did not appear to be in distress.

Red Cross employees told the officer that the mother leaves the child unattended daily. Each time they intended to call police, they said, the babysitter would arrive before a call was made. One of the employees said she had warned the mother of the danger.

The police officer contacted the Fulton County Complaint Room, and was advised to use a misdemeanor charge. The mother was charged with disorderly conduct and released. The officer also left a message with DFACS.