Kids Found Crying, Alone in Hot Car at Manchester Walmart: Cops

MANCHESTER, CT — A woman has been charged after screaming children were discovered alone in a car at the Manchester Walmart, police said.

Manchester police said they received a call at about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday from the Walmart at 420 Buckland Hills Drive. The caller said young children had been left unattended in a hot vehicle, according to a report.

A Walmart employee said the children were “infants ... and were screaming and crying,” according to a report.

Responding officers found three young children inside a Chrysler Town and Country mini-van, which was not running and had the windows only slightly cracked open, according to a report.

Two of the children were secured in their car seats and the third was laying across a seat, police said.

The van door was unlocked and officers were able to easily remove the 5-year-old, the 2-year-old and the 1-year-old, according to a report.

The "adult responsible for the children," was identified as Lashonna Chambers, of Bloomfield. She emerged from the store a short time later, saying that she had only been gone for about 10 minutes, but it was determined that the children had been left alone in the vehicle for approximately 25 minutes when the outside temperature was 82 degrees, according to a report.

The children were looked at by Town of Manchester Fire Department medics and determined to be OK, police said.

Chambers was arrested and charged with three counts each of first-degree reckless endangerment, and risk of injury to a minor. She was being held on a $10,000 bond Thursday morning, according to a report.

The children were turned over to the custody of another guardian and a report was submitted to the state Department of Children and Families, police said.

Photo Credit: MPD

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