ANDERSON, Ind. — A woman was arrested at an Indiana hospital after she left her toddler in a hot car during a Department of Child Services (DCS) interview with her newborn Tuesday, police say.
Jennifer K. Ost, 27, went to Community Pediatrics in Anderson to meet with a DCS employee, a social worker and a hospital police officer after giving birth to a boy July 12 and signing him out of the hospital against medical advice, accordign to court documents.
The appointment was scheduled at 2:30 p.m.; police said Ost arrived with the newborn at 2:40 p.m.
After the baby was examined by a physician, Ost was “evasive,” “belligerent” and “cursing” at the DCS employee during the interview, according to court documents.
Around 4:30 p.m., the hospital received a phone call from someone reporting a small child in a car in the parking lot. Hospital police responded and found a boy sitting in the hot car watching a movie on a cellphone.
Police noted that it was 86 degrees outside, all of the vehicle’s windows were closed and the child was extremely wet from sweating. The vehicle’s doors were unlocked and the responding officer brought the boy inside, documents say.
After running the license plate, police determined the car belonged to Ost.
When questioned, Ost claimed the child did not want to come to the appointment with her, so she decided to leave him in the car.
Madison County DCS was notified and met with police at Community Hospital.
Ost was arrested and charged with neglect of a dependent, and both children were taken into DCS care.
