A Port Richey woman was arrested Wednesday after leaving a child in a locked car with closed windows and no AC, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
Rita Anne Bateza, 40, parked near a New Port Richey school and went inside for a book fair, leaving a 2-year-old child in her care in the car. The windows were rolled up and the engine was not running.
According to PCSO, about an hour and a half later a passer-by noticed the child in the car crying and sweating. That person called authorities.
Bateza was arrested and charged with child neglect. She was released on a $5,000 bond.
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