A 29-year-old mother was arrested Sunday after police say she left her three children inside a hot car while she went grocery shopping at a Walmart.
Ciera Washington now faces three counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, according to Broward jail records.
Children found sweating inside trunk
The incident happened Sunday afternoon in the Walmart parking lot at 12555 West Sunrise Boulevard. Police responded after a caller reported hearing a faint knock from a trunk and spotted the children inside a parked Nissan Sentra.
According to witnesses, the car’s engine was off, the air conditioning wasn’t running, and the windows were rolled up, leaving no ventilation. Two witnesses said the kids were hiding in the trunk and appeared drenched in sweat.
Mom spent nearly 40 minutes inside store
Investigators said CCTV footage showed Washington inside the Walmart with a friend for nearly 40 minutes. She had taken her car keys with her, police noted…