Mother charged with leaving baby son outside Goodwill

Recent heat in Edmonton has led to more alleged incidents of children left in vehicles.

On Wednesday, police allege a 33-year-old mother left her seven-month-old baby boy in a minivan outside a Goodwill charity store at 137 Avenue and Manning Drive, as temperatures hovered in the mid-20s.

Police were called after a passerby saw the baby alone. An officer and social worker arrived and found the child alone inside, the doors locked and windows partly down.

The officer was able to unlock the door and bring out the child. Witnesses estimatehe was alone for at least 20 minutes, although surveillance video is being studied to determine an exact time.

When she returned to the vehicle the mother was charged under the province's Child Youth Family Enhancement Act, a non-criminal charge.

Then on Friday, an 18-month-old child was spotted inside a vehicle at 23 Avenue and 111 Street at 1 p.m., as the temperature hit 26 C.

Police say the female witness monitored the child for four minutes, called 911, then peered through the tinted windows to see that the child had a nosebleed.

"She was able to get the child out by getting her hand through the window and unlocking the door," said EPS spokesperson Clair Seyler.

The mother returned, put the child in the back seat and drove off before officers arrived. Police say they have a license plate number and are attempting to track down the mother.

Wednesday's incident makes 15 people charged thisyearunder provincial law for allegedly leaving a child under their care in a vehicle. Two people have also been criminally charged.

Seyler emphasized that charges are meant to boost awareness about the dangers of leaving achild unattended.

"It's not that these are bad parents or bad guardians- it's that they made a bad decision," she said.