Zebulon man accused of leaving his children in hot vehicle
A 28-year-old Zebulon man was arrested and charged Wednesday with child abuse after police said he left two children in a hot vehicle that was not running.
Posted — UpdatedTerrance Antonio Ford, of 14306 U.S. Highway 264, faces three counts of misdemeanor child abuse. Ford is accused of leaving the children - ages 6, 5 and an infant - inside a 2001 Chevrolet minivan in a parking lot at 6216 Glenwood Avenue, police said.
The temperature inside the vehicle was over 100 degrees, an arrest warrant said.
Marie Greene was in the parking lot when the children were rescued.
"I noticed they had a baby seat out on the ground and that's the first thing that popped in my head, that someone had left a kid in a car as hot as it is," she said. "Unbelievable somebody would still do that in this day and time."
A similar incident happened in a Fayetteville parking lot Wednesday afternoon. Officials said the child in that vehicle is okay.
Experts say the temperature inside a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in 10 minutes - even with the windows cracked.
"A kid's body heats up 3 to 5 times faster than adults," said Dr. Andy Jakubowicz, an emergency physician at WakeMed. "So they absorb more heat. They produce more heat. And they also don't sweat as efficiently as adults do."
Ford was released from jail after posting a $2,000 bond.
The children are in the custody of a family member, police said.
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