Parents arrested after leaving toddler in hot car while they shopped at Target in Aventura, police say
By Kathleen Ditton, Alex Browning
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AVENTURA, Florida (WSVN) — A man and woman were arrested on child abuse charges after allegedly leaving their 2-year-old child in a hot car while they shopped at Target in Aventura.
Police responded to the Target at 21265 Biscayne Blvd. at around 11:15 a.m. Saturday, after a passerby reported seeing a young child alone in a locked car with the windows rolled up.
According to police, the child, who was found covered in vomit, was able to unlock the door after the witness’s encouragement.
The child’s parents, Paola Palencia-Rodriguez, 24, and Melvin Alejandro Jaimes, 25, were arrested at the scene.
According to the arrest report, the couple had left the child in the car for 30 minutes, during which temperatures were in the low 90s amid an active tropical storm and tornado watch.
Police said that the child was sweaty, warm to the touch, and crying, but alert.
The child was evaluated by medical responders and found to be in good health. The child’s grandmother took custody of the child.
Both Palencia-Rodriguez and Jaimes face charges of third-degree child abuse and leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle. The two appeared before a judge on Monday morning.
“You made a decision to let your child sleep in a hot car and that child could’ve died,” said Judge Mindy S. Glazer.
Emotions ran high in court as a grandmother plead for leniency for the two parents.
“Madam judge, my daughter she is a very, very, good mother. All of us here we love very much this child,” said the grandmother.
“I don’t know if you realize how lucky you are and the mother is and the child is that a witness came by and saw the child there and got him to open the door because he was hot and sitting in vomit,” said Glazer while addressing Jaimes.
The two-year-old and his grandmother were seen outside the jail later that day waiting for the couple to bond out of Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center(TGK). The child was said to be okay.
They have since posted bail, but they have yet to be released as of Tuesday morning.
Both parents can not be left alone with their child.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating.
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