UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A grandmother was arrested and charged with child abuse after leaving her eight-month-old granddaughter inside a hot vehicle with the engine turned off outside a Union County facility, according to law enforcement officials. The incident occurred on a 96-degree day.
Deputies reviewed surveillance video and determined the infant was left alone inside the car for approximately 10 minutes while Dedra McManus went inside Union County Animal Services to look at kittens.
McManus parked her vehicle between two marked Union County Sheriff’s Office vehicles before entering the building with friends. When she saw three deputies approaching the adoption area, she ran back to her car, dropping her Apple Watch in the process, before returning inside carrying the infant, the sheriff said.
Emergency Medical Services personnel evaluated the eight-month-old child at the scene and officials said the infant appeared to be okay. The Department of Social Services subsequently took custody of the child.
Following her arrest, McManus asked deputies if she could receive free kittens because she had missed a “Clear the Shelter” adoption event held in August. Deputies declined her request and transported her to the Union County Detention Center, where she is being held without bond.