Mother accused of leaving 6-month-old in hot car while she shopped

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police arrested a mother accused of leaving her baby inside the car while she went into TJ Maxx.

It happened Sunday night at the store on Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry.

Cobb County police told Channel 2's Chris Jose that alert customers spotted the baby inside the car in the parking lot and called 911.

Craig Given and his wife were in the parking lot unloading their bags when they noticed the baby. They told police the windows were up, the doors were locked and the keys were not in the ignition.

After calling police, the couple went into the store to try to call for the mother.

They asked an employee to make an announcement over the intercom about the baby in the car.

Moments later on the recorded 911 call, you can hear the mother, Shoba Marudur, and the commotion that followed.

“Just let me know if she tried to leave or anything, okay?” the dispatcher said.

“OK. She’s opened the door. The police are saying you’re not allowed to leave,” Given said.

“Please! Please!” the mother said.

“It’s not my choice,” Given replied.

“No, no! Please, please,” the mother said.

Given told Jose he was on the phone with 911 for nearly 10 minutes.

TRENDING STORIES:

Police says it’s not clear how long the mother left the child in the hot car, but the arrest warrant says the mother could have been gone for an hour.

Jose knocked on the mother’s door but no one answered.

A neighbor said he hopes it’s a lesson for all parents.

“That’s just a bad decision. Knowing our neighbor, I don’t think she’s a bad person. I think that’s a poor decision,” the neighbor said.

The mother is charged with felony cruelty to children and reckless conduct.

Records show she was released on an $11,000 bond.

Cox Media Group