A 34-year-old Noblesville woman was arrested after police say she left her four-year-old son alone in a hot car Monday. Fishers Police officers and Fire Department personnel were called to the Super Target in Fishers shortly after noon.
Roni Penn told officers that she went into the store to run an errand, but that her son did not want to go. She admitted to leaving him in the car for around half an hour. The temperature inside the vehicle was around 100 degrees after the car was ventilated. Medics checked out the boy, who was hot and sweaty, but needed no additional medical attention. The child was released to his father.
Penn was arrested and taken to The Hamilton County Jail. She faces a charge of neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony.
This is the second instance in seven days that involved mothers leaving young children in hot vehicles while shopping in Hamilton County. On July 23, NPD officers arrested Pooja Thakkar for child neglect after leaving her 11-month-old daughter alone while she shopped in Bed, Bath & Beyond at Hamilton Town Center in Noblesville. Police said the temperatures were 95 degrees outside and 110 degrees inside the car when they arrived.