A mother and father appeared in court Monday, accused of leaving their son locked in a hot car while they went shopping at a Target in Aventura.
According to an arrest report, Paola Palencia-Rodriguez and Melvin Maimes went shopping Saturday morning and left their 2-year-old sleeping in the car with the windows rolled up and the ignition off.
“You made a decision to let your child sleep in a hot car. And that child could have died!” Judge Mindy Glazer told Palencia-Rodriguez during her bond court appearance.
The couple faces charges of child abuse with no great bodily harm and leaving a child unattended in a car.
“You know, ma’am, you are very lucky somebody saw your child there,” Judge Glazer said.
A good Samaritan called police after he spotted the child in the car, crying, sweating, and sitting in vomit. The witness was able to convince the 2-year-old to unlock the door while police responded to the parking lot on 212th Street and Biscayne Boulevard, according to the arrest reports.
“It was 90 degrees out. And you are lucky you are here today in court rather than a child’s funeral,” Judge Glazer said.
The boy’s grandmother currently has custody of the child and spoke in bond court via Zoom. She said they are good parents who love him very much.
“They are young and they just made a mistake. Humans make mistakes,” she said. “So I would like you to reconsider and give my daughter a new chance.”
The judge issued a modified stay away order with supervised visitation. The grandmother or another adult must be present at all times.
“You cannot be alone with the child, the mother can’t be alone with the child, because you have very poor judgment in leaving a 2-year-old locked in a hot car to sleep while you are shopping at a store,” Judge Glazer said.
The parents live with the child and the child’s grandmother. They told a judge they’d only been in Miami for four months.