Police: Florida Mother on Route to Jail for Leaving Child in a Hot Car Claims Police Cruiser ‘Too Hot’

A Florida mother accused of leaving her child in a hot car claimed that the police cruiser transporting her to jail was “too hot,” police said.

Colleen Walker, 30, allegedly left her 5-year-old son in her car for 30 minutes while she went shopping at the Dollar General in South Daytona, WFLA reported.

A bystander alerted authorities to the child crying inside the vehicle with the window in the driver’s seat left slightly ajar.

“He was hanging onto the steering wheel and just screaming. It broke my heart,” the bystander said.

Police and firefighters were able to get the boy out of the car and report that he is okay, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Fire officials who measured the temperature inside Walker’s car say that it reached 107 degrees inside.

Officers arrested Walker and put her in a squad car to transport her to the jail.

Walker allegedly told the arresting officer to turn up the air conditioning in the car because she said the temperature was “too hot.”

“She was complaining that the backseat of our patrol car was too hot on her way to the jail, and asked the officer to turn the AC up,” Lt. Dan Dietrich told WFTV.

Police charged Walker with child neglect and set her bail at $5,000. If convicted, she faces up to five years behind bars.