Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – An officer broke a window to access a young child after a citizen reported the child was left alone in a hot SUV. Around 2:42 p.m. this afternoon, officers responded to Walgreens, at 206 Crossings Lane, in regards to an unattended child in the backseat of Nissan Rogue SUV. Officers arrived to find a 2-year-old little boy who was buckled in a car seat, screaming, crying, and sweating to the point that his hair was soaked. The officers did not hesitate, and they busted out a window to rescue the child from the dangerous heat. Medics responded to the scene to make sure the child was not injured.
The mother, identified as 30-year-old Mariam Banoub of Mt. Juliet, was located inside the store with a 4-year-old female child. Information from the scene led officers to believe that the child was intentionally left unattended for nearly 40 minutes. After resisting officers Banoub was arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail, charged with Leaving a Child Unattended in a Motor Vehicle, Child Neglect, and Resisting Arrest.
Mariam Banoub, 30, of Mt. Juliet
The children were released to the father. While waiting on the father, the children were cared for by a female officer on scene.
Parents and guardians, including pet owners, should understand that the temperature inside a car can reach dangerous levels within minutes on a sunny, warm day. In addition, cracking a window has little effect on the temperature inside a vehicle. Tennessee law prohibits leaving a child unattended in a vehicle (TCA: 39-10-803), and animal cruelty laws could apply if a pet is left unattended in a vehicle as well.
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