Florida mom leaves 2 kids in hot car to shop at Dollar General: LCSO

Florida mom accused of leaving kids in hot car

A woman in Southwest Florida has been arrested after deputies said she left two children in a hot car to go shopping at Dollar General.

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. - A trip to Dollar General in Lehigh Acres landed a Florida woman behind bars after deputies said she left two children inside a hot car while she went shopping. 

The backstory:

On Sunday, deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office went to the parking lot of a Dollar General on Homestead Road after a witness reported seeing two kids alone in the backseat of a non-running vehicle. 

When deputies arrived, they said they opened the vehicle doors and saw two kids strapped in with seatbelts. 

According to LCSO, the vehicle was off with every window rolled up, allowing no air flow in the car.

READ: Tampa hits 100 degrees breaking all-time temperature record

In bodycam video, a deputy can be heard asking the kids if they’re okay and telling them that it is hot. 

When the children’s mother, Marianne Isnar, returned to the car, the deputy asked her how long she was in the store, and she said five minutes.

Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff's Office

The deputy replied that he heard she was in the store for 25 minutes and the windows weren’t down and the car wasn’t on.

The deputy asked her to move toward the hood of the car, so the kids can be removed from the vehicle. 

Dig deeper:

After 10 minutes of having the doors open, it was still 100 degrees in the car, according to LCSO.  

READ: Going outside in the heat? Here's what you need to know to stay safe

The deputy is heard on bodycam video saying he thought there would be a little bit of remorse from Isner but stated there was zero remorse. 

Isnar was charged with child neglect – unattended child in a motor vehicle. 

The children were medically cleared by EMS and later released to a family member.

What they're saying:

"This woman chose to leave her children in a car during one of the hottest days we have had in Southwest Florida this year," said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. "Let this serve as a clear message, we will not hesitate to hold people accountable for putting a child’s life at risk. We are grateful these children are okay."