CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -- A mother has been arrested after police said she left her one-year-old inside her car while she went shopping at Walmart Friday morning.
Police said someone in the parking lot spotted the child alone in the car’s backseat at the Chattanooga Plaza in the 12200 block of Chesterfield Crossing in Midlothian around 11:30 a.m.
Officers responded and a few minutes later, police said the child’s mother, 37-year-old Ebimaru A. Oyaghiro, showed up at the car and was arrested.
Auaghiro was charged with felony child neglect.
Police said the child, who was left unattended for less than 20 minutes, was not injured and was turned over to a relative.
CBS 6 legal analyst Todd Stone weighed in on the charge and said that what constitutes a felony child neglect charge depends on what is reasonable under the circumstances.
For example, Stone said a prosecutor will consider several factors, how long the child was left alone, the age of the child and weather conditions at the time.
Stay with WTVR.com and CBS 6 News for updates on this developing story.
