Mother leaves 7-month-old in hospital parking garage

TEXARKANA — A 7-month-old was taken into Child Protective Services’ custody after East Texas officials located her inside a vehicle at a hospital parking garage according to our news partners at KETK. The Texarkana Police Department received calls of a baby reportedly locked inside a vehicle at a hospital parking garage. When officers arrived, they found security officers and several nurses surrounding the car. “They told us that someone had noticed the parked car’s motor was running and then saw an infant alone in a safety seat inside the car,” the Texarkana Police Department said. “They were able to get into the car through a window that had been left cracked and got the baby out.” While trying to locate the owner of the vehicle, Britney Petro went up to officers and said the vehicle and the child were hers. She reportedly told officers she had left her 7-month-old baby alone in the car because she could not find a babysitter that morning.

Texarkana PD said Petro left her child in the car alone for approximately 45 minutes before going into the hospital for her shift and “talk to her supervisor.”

Petro was arrested for abandoning or endangering a child and was booked into the Bi-State Jail and released Friday afternoon after posting a $50,000 bond. Petro’s baby was taken into Child Protective Services’ custody shortly after.