Greenville toddler rescued from hot car; mother charged
A Greenville woman was arrested Friday afternoon after police had to pull a 2-year-old boy from a car left in the hot sun.
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Ashley Caroline Garris, 21, was charged with misdemeanor child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Officers responded to the parking lot of Zoe’s Kitchen and Ulta Beauty, at 3120 Evans St., shortly after 1:45 p.m. and found several people trying to get into a parked car, where a child was in a car seat in the back.
Temperatures inside the car ranged from 104 to 116 degrees, police said.
Officer Elliot Gruhn was able to reach through a window that had been left cracked open and unlock the car, police said. He took the boy into the restaurant to cool him down, and Greenville Fire-rescue then took him to Vidant Medical Center to be checked out.
About a half hour later, Garris returned to the car. Police said she left her son in the car for about an hour as she shopped in Ulta.
Child Protective Services has barred Garris from having contact with the boy, who is expected to be OK, while the case is under investigation.
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