On the afternoon of March 7, a mother reportedly left her 2-year-old son locked inside of her SUV in the heat for over half an hour while she was shopping.
On Monday around 2:45 p.m. Mt. Juliet police received a call from someone stating that they were concerned upon discovering a young child by himself in a vehicle in the parking lot at a Walgreens store.
Officers dispatched to the location and observed the toddler alone inside of the parked car. The boy was allegedly crying and soaked with perspiration from the heat and the police determined that he needed to be removed from the vehicle. One of the officers broke the window in order to retrieve the boy and paramedics arrived to make sure that he did not need medical assistance. They found him to be in good condition.
The authorities entered the store and located the boy’s mother, 30-year-old Mariam Banoub, who was shopping and had her 4-year-old daughter with her. After further investigation of the situation, police alleged that Banoub was inside of the store for around 40 minutes and had intentionally left her son in the car by himself.
When officers attempted to take Banoub into custody she allegedly struggled and fought against them before they were able to successfully detain her.
One of the officers at the scene took charge of the children until their father was able to reach the destination and they were turned over to him.
Banoub was taken to the Wilson County Jail where she was charged with leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle, child neglect, and resisting arrest.
If you or someone you love is suspected of child neglect, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.