Christin Renee Deam is facing child neglect charges after her five-year-old child was found locked inside a vehicle with the windows rolled up at the Gulf Breeze Wal-Mart location on Saturday.
According to a press release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, a witness at the store’s location noticed the child, which appeared to be sweating and crying, inside the vehicle. The witness told authorities on scene that the child appeared to be in distress inside the locked vehicle which had no working air condition inside at the time.
Prior to contacting the authorities, witnesses sought the child’s guardian for an hour through a page inside the store’s intercom system and by canvassing the parking lot, according to the press release. After contacting 911, a witness broke a window in order to remove the child from the vehicle. The individual told authorities they believed the child was in grave danger.
A Lifeguard ambulance crew arrived on scene to provide aid stating the child. In the arrest report, the arresting deputy said EMS responders diagnosed the child with heat exhaustion and said the internal temperatures inside the vehicle was 100 degrees at the time. Outside the vehicle the temperature was notated at 88 degrees at the time of the incident.
The child’s mother, who initially identified herself as Jamie Ann Deam, walked up to the scene while EMS responders were attending to the child. The arrest report said Deam initially did not want EMS to transport the child to a local hospital.
After being questioned on scene, deputies arrested Deam and charged with child neglect. She was then transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail on a $5,000 bond. With the involvement of the Department of Children and Families, the child was released to the care of a relative.
The mother is also facing additional charges after deputies discovered she had given a false identification at the scene. Through fingerprinting, the mother’s real name was revealed as Chrisin Renee Deam, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deam currently remains in custody at the SRC jail with a $6,350 bond.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Mother facing charges after leaving child in locked vehicle