Mother allegedly left baby unattended in hot car while she rode a horse

MERRICK COUNTY, Nebraska (KSNB/Gray News) – A Nebraska mother is accused of leaving her toddler unattended in a hot car while she went horseback riding at a carnival.

On Saturday, a Merrick County deputy was dispatched to the Merrick County Fairgrounds to investigate a case of a toddler left unattended in a vehicle.

According to the sheriff's office, the baby was discovered when a good Samaritan heard the crying and began searching surrounding cars, KSNB reported.

When officers arrived, they found that a three-month-old baby had been left for an extended period of time in a pickup truck with the engine turned off and the windows only partially open.

The mother, identified as 40-year-old Cara Dugan of Kearney, was discovered riding a horse inside a building.

She was arrested and charged with child abuse.

The outside temperature was 32 to 32 degrees Celsius. However, the baby was not injured in this incident.

The child was placed in the care of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Copyright 2024 KSNB via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.