SALT LAKE CITY - A mother has been arrested and faces a felony charge of child abandonment Wednesday after she allegedly left her 21-month-old daughter alone in a locked vehicle for about two hours.
According to police at the scene, things began around 4:30 p.m. when someone noticed a woman parking a car in the area of 500 West and 300 South.
Akilah M. Davis
The car was between the Rio Grande and the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub, which is a transit station that services UTA buses as well as TRAX and FrontRunner trains.
The man went by the same vehicle about 30 minutes later and noticed a young girl inside the locked car. That man called authorities, and a police officer responded and broke into the car without damaging it to get the girl out. The 21-month-old girl was checked out and found to be OK.
"They got the little girl out and took her inside, had medical look at her, she was in good condition," said Lt. Robin Heiden of the Salt Lake City Police Department. "Fortunately it wasn't too hot inside the car."
Authorities eventually moved their emergency vehicles away from the parked car but kept an eye on the vehicle. Sometime after 7:30 p.m. the child's mother came back to the car, at which time police approached and took her into custody for questioning.
Police said 36-year-old Akilah Davis has been booked into jail on one count of child abandonment, which is a felony.
The Division of Child and Family Services responded and took the toddler into their care.
Akilah M. Davis
