Inset: June Cooper King (J. Reuben Long Detention Center). Background: The Home Depot in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where King is accused of leaving a 9-year-old girl in a hot vehicle (Google Maps).
A 78-year-old South Carolina woman is accused of leaving a 9-year-old girl and a dog inside a parked car as temperatures climbed above 100 degrees while she went shopping at Home Depot, an incident police say left the child suffering from heat exhaustion.
June Cooper King has been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child.
An incident report obtained by Law&Crime says officers with the Horry County Police Department were called around 4:30 p.m. Saturday to the Home Depot in Murrells Inlet, roughly 15 miles southwest of Myrtle Beach. Police said the girl and the dog had been “locked in the car” before they were rescued.
When officers spoke with King, she allegedly told them she had turned the vehicle off and left both the child and the dog inside while she went into the store.
“She stated that she did not think the amount of time she was in the store would cause any issues to the victim or the dog,” officers wrote in the report.
Authorities did not specify how long King was allegedly inside the Home Depot.
Police said the child was soaked with sweat and appeared to be struggling to breathe when responders arrived. Paramedics later recorded her body temperature at 104 degrees, according to the report, while the outdoor temperature had also reached triple digits. Officers said the girl was so affected by heat exhaustion that she had difficulty drinking water without help.
First responders spent about 30 minutes treating the girl before taking her to a hospital. The report did not detail the relationship between King and the girl.
King’s husband picked up his wife’s car and the dog. She was taken to the J Reuben Long Detention Center, where she has since posted a $25,000 bond.
Her next court date was not immediately listed.
The post Child’s body temperature reaches 104 degrees while trapped inside hot car as 78-year-old woman shops at Home Depot: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
