GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) –
A Meridian couple is charged with Felony Child Abuse after Gulfport police say they left their children in a hot car while they went gambling.
Saturday afternoon, James Terrell Dunn parked his car in the Island View Casino parking lot and, according to police, told a security guard his windows were covered in order to protect the interior of his car from the sun. What he didn’t say was that his two kids were also inside.
About an hour later, the casino’s security guard took a closer look at the car and noticed a 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy had been left behind. The engine was off and the windows were secured. The officer also noted that the temperature at that time was 95 degrees with a heat index of 109 degrees.
Dunn, 32, and Monique Latrice Newton, 33, were located inside the gambling area of the casino and arrested. Each faces two counts of Felony Child Abuse.
Both were being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Facility in lieu of $50,000 bonds.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
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