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Mooresville parents accused of leaving 2-year-old girl in hot car

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A mother and father were taken into custody after Mooresville police said they left a 2-year-old girl inside a hot vehicle in her car seat on River Highway Thursday.

The child was not taken to the hospital but was treated at the scene and released.

It is not known how long the toddler was in the car, but investigators said the air conditioner was not on and the windows were not cracked, while the parents were inside a nearby Verizon store.

Police said a witness spotted the unattended girl inside the car at about 1 p.m. and called 911.

“Had she not been there, we may be dealing with a totally different situation here,” Mooresville Police Deputy Chief Gerald Childress said.

"That's terrible," a shopper who heard about the incident said. "They're very blessed that the baby survived."

"I've seen pets and that's bad enough," another shopper said.

Brandon Burris and Sarah Hunt

Sarah Hunt and Brandon Burris were charged with misdemeanor child abuse.