Authorities arrested an Arizona mom accused of leaving her 4-year-old locked in a hot car as she went shopping amid triple digit temperatures and an excessive heat warning.
Police arrested Nichole Yazzie, 32, Saturday, after she allegedly left her kid locked in their car parked outside a Mesa, Arizona, shopping center, while temperatures crept upwards of 110 degrees, KTVK-TV, KPNX-TV, and KTAR News reported, citing court records.
Yazzie has been charged with one count of child abuse.
Witnesses called 911 to report a child in visible distress while locked in the vehicle.
When first responders rescued the child, she was disoriented, sweating excessively, and dehydrated, said police. She was treated on the scene.
Investigators determined temperatures inside the vehicle may have reached 129 degrees.
Yazzie admitted she left her daughter in the car with the engine shut off after the girl refused to come inside the store with her because she didn't want her kid to "drive away," according to the documents, KPNX reported.
Yazzie's bail was set at $15,000.
