A three-year-old Gainesville boy is okay after he was left alone in a locked vehicle last week, but his mother has been arrested in the incident.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office said Alejandra Suarez, 26, of Gainesville called 911 on Monday, August 13 after she discovered that she had accidentally left her son unattended in her locked vehicle on 4th Street in Chicopee Village.
Authorities believe the boy had been left alone in the vehicle for about three hours based on information the mother gave investigators. She told them she dropped off her other two children at their grandmother's home and the three-year-old fell asleep in the vehicle. She discovered her son around 8 p.m. Monday.
As a result of being left alone in the vehicle, the child was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center for treatment. Authorities did not release the nature of the child's injuries, although they said he has been released from the hospital and is in good physical condition.
Hall County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Ware said Suarez has been cooperative with investigators; however, she was arrested on Sunday, August 19 and charged with cruelty to children in the second degree, a felony.
"First degree child cruelty would involve intent and we believe she did not have any intent to harm the child," Ware said in a phone interview. "Second degree involves negligence and we do believe that she was negligent - the child was left unattended for three hours locked in the car."
At last report, Suarez remained in the Hall County Jail awaiting a court appearance.
The boy is in the custody of his father, according to Ware.
