A Bayard woman was arrested in Grimes Sunday afternoon after she allegedly endangered two young children by leaving them alone in a vehicle in temperatures near 90 degrees.
Shailyn Marie Hein, 26, of Bayard was charged with two counts of child endangerment.
The incident began about 3:15 p.m. Sunday in the 2100 block of E. First Street in Grimes, where Hein allegedly left a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old “unsupervised in her vehicle while she entered a Walmart store in Grimes while the outside temperature was 86 degrees Fahrenheit,” according to court records.
The air conditioning in the 2019 Kia Optima “was initially running,” but it “timed out” while Hein was in the store, according to court records.
The victims “became distressed due to the rising internal temperature of the vehicle,” and they were able to “gain the attention of a bystander for assistance,” according to court records.
The bystander found the children to be “sweating excessively,” according to court records.
Hein was held in the Polk County Jail prior to her release on her own recognizance. She is scheduled for arraignment Aug. 15 in Polk County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.