Police in Red Oak arrested 36-year old Joseph Aaron Nelson, of Red Oak, on two counts of Child Endangerment Monday evening, after they received a report of children left unattended inside of a hot car near the Dollar General Store.

Joseph Aaron Nelson

When officers arrived, they found two children inside of a vehicle, which was turned-off and had one window down. The outside temperature at the time was around 90 degrees. Witnesses said the children had been inside the vehicle for 10-to 15-minutes.

The children – a 5 month old female and a 5-year old male – were removed from the vehicle and placed inside of an ambulance to cool down. While medics were attending to the children, Nelson came out of the store. He was taken into custody at around 5:22-p.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $2,000.

Red Oak Police remind parents and care givers, to consider the following during warmer months:

• Never leave a child or pets in an unattended vehicle, even with the windows down.
• Make it habit to open the rear door of the vehicle every time you park, to ensure no one is left inside.
• To enforce that habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without – such as a purse, briefcase, employee badge, phone, etc. – inside your vehicle in the back seat.
• When at home, keep your vehicle locked at all times, even in the garage.
• Never leave keys within reach of children.
• If a child is missing, immediately check the vehicle, floorboards and trunk of all vehicles in the area.

According to the National Weather Service, 16 toddlers have died in 2019 as a result of being left in hot vehicles. The Red Oak Police Dept. is asking citizens to keep an eye out for children or pets left in vehicles on hot days, and to call 9-1-1 if you see any unaccompanied child or pets, in distress.