Raleigh mom accused of leaving children in hot car says she made a mistake

Laura Zarate-Castro, 30, of 4133 Lake Lynn Drive, was arrested Monday night after workers who spotted the children in the car at a Cary apartment complex called 911.

A tearful Zarate-Castro said she made a mistake and isn't a bad mother to her 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

She said she stopped by a friend's apartment to drop something off and left the sleeping children in the car after cracking the window.

A woman who called 911 said the children were left alone in the car for more than 30 minutes, but Zarate-Castro insisted it was nowhere near that long, noting she didn't go into her friend's apartment.

A 911 dispatcher told the woman to open the car doors and pull the children out so they could cool off.

"It's sweltering out here, and they're sweating," the woman told the dispatcher.

The children were taken to WakeMed Cary, where Zarate-Castro said they checked out fine.

They stayed with their father after she was taken into custody, she said, but she later posted bond and was released.