Sep 3, 2008 10:40 am US/Central
Mom Charged After Leaving Toddler In Car
MUNDELEIN (Lake County News-Sun) ―
A Hoffman Estates woman has been charged with child endangerment after leaving a toddler unattended in the parking lot of Mundelein supermarket.
Police say Rocio Hernandez was inside the Jewel store, 1501 Lake St., for at least 20 minutes with her 18-month-old child alone in the car.
The incident, which was made public Tuesday, occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 19.
Hernandez, 24, was away from her car for at least eight minutes when another Jewel customer phoned police. Officers arrived on the scene two minutes later and waited by the car for 10 minutes before Hernandez came out, said Mundelein police Sgt. John Monahan.
The windows of the vehicles were rolled up at the time of the incident, and the outside temperature was around 76 degrees. The engine was not running, Monahan said.
When Hernandez returned to the car, she didn't offer a reason for leaving the child unattended.
"She told officers that she went in to Jewel to get groceries and basically didn't make an excuse," Monahan said.
She was released on $1,000 bond pending a court appearance scheduled Sept. 12.
(CBS 2 and the Lake County News-Sun are news partners covering stories in the north suburbs. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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