Mo Valley woman arrested for child endangerment
A Missouri Valley woman was arrested for child endangerment in Blair, Nebraska Thursday after she left two young children unattended in a locked car for 25 minutes.
Officers from the Blair Police Department and Blair Volunteer Fire & Rescue were dispatched to 2876 Angel Share Drive at 11:53 a.m. on a report of two small juveniles left unattended in a vehicle. A nearby Washington County Sheriff’s sergeant found two small children crying and screaming inside the car, which was not running, according to a press release posted on the police department's Facebook page.
Fearing the children were suffering from heat exposure, he entered the vehicle and recovered the children, who were secured in car seats.
As the sergeant was removing the children from the vehicle, he was approached by their mother, later identified as 37-year-old Tanya Knudsen of Missouri Valley, the release stated. Blair Police and Fire & Rescue arrived and the children, who were both displaying signs of heat exposure, were quickly transported to Memorial Community Hospital in Blair.
Personnel from Blair Fire & Rescue used a thermal heat detector inside the vehicle after the children were removed and found the temperature inside was more than 120 degrees.
An investigation by Blair Police officers found that Knudsen was delivering online grocery orders and left the children inside the non-running vehicle to make the delivery. Witnesses and surveillance video confirmed that the children, ages 3 years old and 16 months old, were left unattended for 25 minutes. The children were treated for heat exposure and were released to family members under the supervision of Nebraska Health and Human Services Child Protective Services.
Knudsen was arrested by Blair Police officers for felony child abuse and booked into the Washington County, Nebraska Jail.
Citizens posted dozens of angry comments on the Facebook page, with many questioning why it took Knudsen 25 minutes to make a delivery. One stated that another retailer requires two adults in delivery vehicles with children, and some thanked officers for saving the children before it was too late.
Police posted precautions on the department’s Facebook page about protecting children during hot weather, including the following:
Never leave children unattended in a vehicle.
A car can heat up 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, even with the windows cracked. Children’s bodies overheat three to five times faster than adults.
Heatstroke can become life-threatening in a matter of minutes.
Always check the back seat before locking your vehicle. Ask caregivers and childcare providers to do the same.
If you see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911 immediately.
“Every year, lives are lost to this preventable tragedy,” police warned. “Let’s work together to keep our children safe.”
