Polk County father accused of leaving 3-year-old in hot car while grocery shopping

LAKE WALES, Fla. – A Frostproof father was arrested on Friday after officials said he left his 3-year-old boy in a hot car in a grocery store parking lot in Lake Wales.

The Lake Wales Police Department said Sauveur Desulme, 70, was arrested for negligent child abuse without bodily harm and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes.

Officers said they responded to the Aldi, located at 753 Thompson Nursery Road, after receiving a call from a person who saw the child alone in the vehicle. Once there, police said the 3-year-old boy was in the car seat in the back of a 2006 Nissan SUV.

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The SUV’s windows were cracked about three inches, which only allowed for minimal airflow, and it was turned off with no adults inside or around it.

Officers got the child out of the unlocked SUV quickly. According to LWPD, the child was assessed by first responders and was in good health. They did confirm, though, that the 3-year-old was extremely hot and drenched in sweat.

Detectives said Desulme left his son in the SUV for more than 20 minutes while he shopped at Aldi. He told investigators that he chose to leave him in the car, because his son often misbehaves inside stores.

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