On June 10th, 2025, officers were dispatched to a Kroger store in response to a report of a child left unattended inside a hot vehicle. This is Tazewell County 911. Yeah, I'm over here at Kroger's and I got a kid locked in a car and I don't know how long he's been here. And he's screaming his head off. Okay, what's the address? I'm at Kroger's here on Broadway. Pekin Kroger's, okay. Yeah, he's in here. I mean, screaming his head off. What kind of vehicle is it and what is Hang on, buddy. It is a Jeep Latitude. License plate number How old is the child? Uh he looks around three or four. Hang on, okay? I know. Hang on, I got someone coming. Hang on. Are they still there? >> here about 10 minutes. Huh? No, no windows are down. No, all the doors are locked. Okay. But he's freaking out and I know the time is hard. Where is it at in the lot? Um back by like when you first pull in, I'm standing outside the car. Back by the kind of like by the uh by the gas not gas pumps. The first aisle, I'd say. And I've been here I probably been here like 10 minutes and he's screaming. I got someone coming, okay? Someone left their kid in the car. How do you know it's What color vehicle is it? He's about four. What color is the vehicle? >> it's about I'd say like a tan like army tan. All right. What row are you in, do you know? I think it should be row one. It's right when you pull in. Okay. If these people have showed up, I'm not going to let them leave. Well, you're not going to be able to block him in. All right. >> There should be an officer out there if you see him. Um yeah, he's right here. I see him. >> All right, I'm going to let you go. All right, thank you. Bye-bye. >> [crying] >> I'm so sorry. He was so sorry. The mother returned to the car. I did this. I'm so sorry. Did you know he was in there? No. Okay, did you go in the shop? Yes. How long were you in there? Probably about 20 minutes. Okay, I'm going to have medics just check out just cuz it's hot out, okay? And the vehicle wasn't running? What's your first name? Kelsey. So, you were in the store, correct? With you? Did we intentionally leave him in the car or did you just forget to get him out? I just forgot. Okay, was he sleeping or something like that? >> No. Okay. I just we just didn't notice as we got out of the car. Obviously we got called here to check on him cuz he was yelling, okay? I'm glad somebody came anyways. I'm so sorry. I know. I'm sorry, baby. So, you forgot to take him in. He was in there about 20 minutes. Yeah. All right. I think this is a toddler over here. Let's go talk to him. I have me. I have two. Hey, buddy. Well, we're going to wait. What's your name, buddy? Did you call this in? Do you know how long he was in the car? >> I've been here at least 10-15 minutes. And I I here on and I was I kept hearing someone like screaming. I'm like, "Yeah." So, I I got out to smoke a cigarette cuz I got my kids in the car and I look over and I'm like and I checked every door and I wasn't going to break the window. That's why I called you guys. You did the right thing calling. Yeah, I called you guys right away cuz he was, I mean, screaming like like murder, so. So, about 20 minutes or so or Yeah, we weren't in there very long. Obviously, it's hot though. Yeah. There was like water behind the car. Yeah. How long did you do a lot of things today? Yeah. All right, so you said you heard him screaming, all the doors were locked. >> All the doors were locked, yeah. Assuming looks pretty Yeah, he was sweating, yeah. He was definitely sweating. And I know it's probably hot as hell in that car. Do you know what what he was screaming or was it just I couldn't really understand. I just I know he was just I mean, just screaming like he got hurt. I mean, I I I literally just literally just got out the hospital, so. Yeah. Do you have any water or anything in your car? Honey, do you know if there's water in the back? I don't Did you guys drink it earlier? We went to the golfing today. Oh, okay. They were hot afterwards, so they might have drank all the water. Did you have fun golfing? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I was there. I don't know if I saw you or not though. Thanks for calling. You're welcome. I I didn't know. I No, I would have been all right. >> want to break a window, so I first time I did it. I would have been all right with it. So, like I just told her I literally just got out the hospital, so. Look at this gun. It's a gun, dude. Okay. Well, I'm waiting on my wife to come out of the store right now, so. >> All right. Honey, I don't think he's got any. So, so glad you checked. I don't know if you have one of these. This is cold. It's like a It's apple flavored. Yeah. You want to try to drink that? That work. Tell Thank you. >> Is it yummy? Here you go. You can have it, bud. Say thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. Oh my. You want to meet some firefighters? >> thank you, Augie. Hey, look. Look, I got the same hat on. Oh, he likes fish, too. I got the same hat on. Why don't you say thank you, Augie? Say thank you, Augie. I got my You want to throw this? You can have it. Say thank you. And he's washed, but you can have it. Say we love fishing. So, the little one, she forgot him and went in the store shopping about 20 minutes. He was screaming bloody murder, couldn't get out of the car, no one could get in. Uh he's pretty pretty upset and sweaty when I got here, so I figured you guys could just do a once-over. No air or anything on the car. It's completely off. I don't have my matrix on me. Is detaining the health and welfare of this animal endangering the health and welfare? Do you have your matrix on you? I I'll check. I don't I'm They show those videos, man, where there's kids in cars and like within so many minutes and it's like 120°. >> here. I I kept hearing something and I stepped out to smoke a cigarette cuz my kids were in there and I just hear them screaming, so I I'm running checking all the doors. I'm like, man, I don't know if I should bust it, so I took my phone and called 911. I didn't I really didn't know what to do, so I didn't want to get in trouble for breaking a window. But in a way, I really didn't want to carry it, either, you know, so I called and you guys were here quick, so Obviously, the situation would have dictated if you would have broke it. We probably would have You know what I mean? >> Yeah, so >> So Yeah. Must be in my mailbox. But how do you know what's detainable and what's not? How do you know it's detainable or it's not? Exactly. >> [laughter] >> It's a class A misdemeanor. You're all good to go. Okay, I just had to make sure it was going to start you guys. No, you're all good. You have a good day. I'd say more more than 10 minutes. I mean, they can go to jail for a class A, but whether it's detainable or whether whether we should take her is another thing. And insulted, no, I wouldn't because it's adding insult to injury to that little child. Yeah. No, they're traumatizing again. >> Yeah. I think it's traumatizing. Yeah. And she's she's pretty What? You're good. She's pretty worked up, too. She knows she But I mean, like, come on now. Your other kids went in. Like My name's Angie, okay? Okay. I just seen that my camera's still on. So, obviously, some mistakes were made today. I'm not going to sit here and lecture you in front of your kids, okay? But just we want some lessons. Obviously, it leaves a bad taste, okay? You got a scratch? >> Yeah. Oh, it looks like Is that a Is that one that hurts? This one. Oh, yeah. >> Yeah, we had to rub boo-boo cream on it. Awesome. So, I do have to issue you a notice to appear because he was he's under six and he was left in a car for more than 10 minutes, okay? Not charges right there. Okay. Specifically in a motor vehicle, okay? It's a class A misdemeanor. All you have to do is show up at court for it. And I got two copies for you to sign. We can do this. All right. So, this isn't an admission of guilt. This is just saying that I issued you two, yeah. What are the tools of the trade? What tools? And the next one, same one, okay. And that court date is on July 15th at 9:00 a.m. at the courthouse, okay? And this is your copy. Do you have any questions for me? All right. Hope you feel okay, buddy. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> All right, you guys have a good rest of your day. According to arrest reports, the woman was charged with endangering the life or health of a child. Court records related to the case were not accessible following the filing of charges.