HORRIBLE NEBRASKA MOM Allegedly Leaves Baby in Hot Car – to Ride Horses at County Fair!
A Nebraska mother was arrested for child abuse after leaving her baby in a hot car while she went horseback riding at a county fair. 🌐 #News #CentralCityNE #Nebraska #Crime
CENTRAL CITY, NE – A Nebraska mother has been charged with child abuse after allegedly leaving her baby in a hot car while she went horseback riding at a county fair, and a roping contestant rescued the child.
The Merrick County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy responded to a report of an infant left in an unattended vehicle at the Merrick County Fairgrounds at around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The sheriff’s office said a citizen, later reported by Fox Nebraska to be roping contestant Edgar Estrada, heard an infant crying and began searching nearby vehicles to locate the child.
“I got on my horse to warm it up again, get ready and I started listening to the sounds of a baby crying,” Estrada told the outlet.
‘“I instantly got on the horse and ran up and down the parking lot area where the vehicles were at and I was just weaving in and out looking for this crying baby.”
An announcement was made over the fair’s loudspeakers, and more people joined Estrada’s search. He found the infant in a pickup truck that had its engine off and the windows “only partially ajar,” according to the sheriff’s office, and rescued the child.
The 3-month-old baby’s mother, 40-year-old Cara Dugan, was found inside of a building where she was riding a horse, the sheriff’s office said. She was arrested and booked into the Merrick County Jail on one felony count of child abuse.
The sheriff’s office said the temperature outside at the time was 89–90 degrees. The baby was transported to a local hospital by law enforcement for a wellness check, then turned over to the custody of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
“Captain Bauer wants to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to all the citizens who offered assistance during this incident,” the sheriff’s office said. “Tragedy was most likely avoided thanks to their response and actions!”
Reminder: All parties are considered innocent before proven guilty. Written by TMX staff, with additional reporting by Thomas Miller for JackAndKitty.com. Cara Dugan mugshot courtesy the Merrick County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook.
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