GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A grandmother was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of child abuse after officials say she left her granddaughter inside a locked car while shopping at Walmart.
Karol Fitzgerald was arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of Child Abuse, Leaving a Child in a Vehicle. She faces up to 93 days in jail if convicted.
A woman in the Walmart parking lot on Alpine Avenue on May 21 spotted the child in the car and called 911. Kent County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Ysquierdo said when he arrived to the vehicle, he could see the toddler was sweating, bright red and unconscious. The child was treated for heat exhaustion.
Witnesses said Fitzgerald told police she left the toddler inside the car because she had just fallen asleep and didn’t want to wake her up. Police said the grandmother was watching the toddler because the child’s mother was out of town for the weekend.
Fitzgerald’s next court date has not been determined.
