HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A Henrico mother of two accused of leaving her two kids in the car near a busy shopping center on Chamberlayne Road is free on bond.
Henrico police said 23-year-old Brittnany Shanae Jefferson's vehicle was secure and that all the windows were rolled up except for one in the back that was lowered six inches down.
"During the interview process of our investigation process of the incident, some citizens in the area realized what was going on and engaged in the conversation with our defendant in this case,” Lt. Chris Eley with Henrico police said.
As a result, Jefferson was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of child abuse and neglect.
Another mother left her toddler inside of a car in the parking lot of the Henrico county jail while she dropped something off Wednesday afternoon. But police said she had her eye on the child the entire time and that the vehicle's windows were rolled down. Accordingly, she was not charged.
And on Monday, LaQuanda Newby was charged twice for leaving her two kids in a hot car.
While turning herself in at the county jail for a charge in May, a Henrico sheriff's deputy said the woman's children were left in the parking lot as she was being processed.
Deputies brought the children inside the courts building and give them water and snacks until their dad arrived to pick them up.
Lt. Eley warned parents that leaving their children in the car on a sweltering day -- even if for a few moments -- could prove deadly.
"It's alarming only because cars in weather like this are almost like greenhouses. They heat up fast without even realizing it. Especially young kids are susceptible to heat,” Eley said.
Lt. Chris Eley
