FORT SMITH, Ark. — Fort Smith police arrested a Greenwood couple after they allegedly left an infant in a hot car on Saturday, July 6.
David Carver, 61, and Brenda Carver, 57, were booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center for endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree, a Class D felony. There is currently no bond listed for either suspect.
Officers were dispatched to the Walmart on North 62nd Street on Saturday and found a child in the back passenger seat of a vehicle that was turned off at around 3:48 p.m.
Police said the child was "sweating and in distress." Due to the child's state, an officer busted the front driver's side window to unlock the car. EMS responded to the scene to provide medical care to the child.
After obtaining surveillance footage, police said Brenda and David were seen leaving the child and going into the Walmart at 3:40 p.m., eight minutes before police arrived at the scene. Police said the footage showed officers getting the child out of the car at 3:54 p.m.
According to the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD), the child survived.
David and Brenda Carver were arraigned on video on July 11 where they were appointed public defenders and assigned their next court date for Aug 1 at 9 a.m.
Hours after the arrests, the FSPD sent a reminder to the public about being aware of the dangers of heat and the effect it can have on children.
"It only takes a few minutes for a car to heat up to dangerous levels, even on a mild day. Always check your backseat before leaving your vehicle," FSPD said. "If you see a child alone in a car, act immediately. Anyone who leaves a child in a hot car will be arrested. Fort Smith Police will not tolerate it, especially at this time of year when minutes matter! Forgetting is not an excuse."
"Heatstroke is preventable. Stay vigilant. Save lives," FSPD said, adding that on average, 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle.
Aric Mitchell, FSPD's public information officer, said incidents like this have happened before in Fort Smith and can have deadly effects.
"If you have like an 80-degree day, the temperature inside that car can get up over 100 degrees in just 20 minutes," Mitchell said. "If you leave, you know a pet or a child in the car with the windows rolled up, no AC on, all that, it doesn't take long for a situation like that to become potentially deadly."
Aaron Howell, quality assurance manager with Fort Smith EMS, says if you see something like this, say something.
"If you're calling in, make sure you're brief, make sure you're exact," he said. "We may be very short, but we need the information. We need it now. Time is of the essence."
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