TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – Two East Texas parents were arrested Monday after allegedly leaving their four young children — including a 5-week-old infant — alone in a hot car while shopping inside a Walmart in Tyler.
David Alan Bearden, 28, and Emily Kay Bearden, 27, both of Arp, face four counts each of endangering a child, according to the Tyler Police Department.
The incident occurred at the Walmart Supercenter on the 6800 block of South Broadway Avenue. Around 5 p.m., a 10-year-old child exited the vehicle and alerted a Walmart employee after the 5-year-old sibling accidentally turned off the car, leaving the children trapped in the heat with no air circulation.
Officers arrived quickly to find the couple returning to the parking lot after approximately 90 minutes inside the store. The children — ages 5 weeks, 2 years, 5 years, and 10 years — were visibly sweating, red-faced, and disheveled, police said.
“It was hot,” said police spokesperson Andy Erbaugh, who emphasized that leaving children unattended in a vehicle is a state jail felony in Texas when they are under the age of 14.
Erbaugh warned of the grave dangers posed by such neglect:
“We don’t know if someone’s going to try to take advantage of those children. We don’t know if the kids are going to get out of the car, or start wandering… You will go to jail for it.”
At the time, outside temperatures were between 95°F and 97°F, meaning the interior of the car could have exceeded 130°F in under an hour, according to meteorologist Andrew Tate.
Thankfully, none of the children required medical treatment. Child Protective Services (CPS) was contacted and the children were released to other family members.
Authorities urge parents never to leave children or pets in parked vehicles — running or not — especially during hot weather conditions.
