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Police: mother left child in hot car while going to work

Now facing child neglect charge
Posted at 12:31 AM, Jan 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-24 00:31:57-05

St. Petersburg Police arrested a mother for keeping her son in a hot car for several hours while she went to work. 

According to police, Jasmine Denise Allen, 25, parked her car in the parking lot behind the building where she worked, located at 9701 International Ct. 

She left the child in the car with the windows rolled up, doors locked, and the engine off around noon Thursday. 

Allen was inside where she worked at a call center for AGR Group Florida. The boy had no way of contacting Allen in the case of an emergency. 

A security guard patrolling the company parking lot saw the child alone around 3:46 p.m., nearly four hours after Allen left for work. 

The outside temperature that day reached 80 degrees, according to police. Experts warn the temperature inside a vehicle can climb above 130 degrees within 30 minutes in that environment. 

According to the police report, the child's body was drenched in sweat and his mouth was white. 

Someone called police and EMS but when the security guard brought the child inside, Allen grabbed the child by the upper arm and reportedly drug him out of the building. 

Allen left the area before police or an ambulance arrived. 

She was later arrested for child neglect. 

A company manager said Allen has been fired.