GULFPORT, Miss.–Leaving thie 9-year-old girl and their 11-year-old boy in a hot car in the parking garage of the Island View casino in Gulfport while they gambled inside is the charge against James Terrell Dunn, 32, and Monique Newton, 33, both of Meridian.
Gulfport Police said the incident happened Aug. 8 and it was a security guard’s quick thinking that may have saved the children.
The guard said he was approached by Dunn, who told him he had shielded the inside of his car from the sun. The guard, thinking it pretty unusual for a guy to tell him that, looked in the car and saw the two kids.
The kids eventually opened the door for the guards, who got them water and took them inside to cool down. The heat index was near 105 that day.
An ambulance was called, but the kids were okay.
Dunn and Newton did not get them back. They were arrested and charged with felony child abuse. The kids were taken by the Dept. of Human Services.