ANDERSON, Ind. — An Indiana mother is facing a child neglect charge after police said she left her young son inside a hot car while she met with the Department of Child Services at an Anderson doctor's office.
According to WXIN-TV, Jennifer Kay Ost, 27, brought her newborn son to a pediatrician appointment and interview with child welfare workers at Community Pediatrics about 2:40 p.m. July 16, just days after authorities said she had given birth to the baby and signed him out of Decatur County Memorial Hospital against doctors' recommendations. The Milroy woman was "belligerent" and swore at a DCS worker during the meeting, court documents said.
Nearly two hours into Ost's interview, authorities responded to a report of a young boy in a hot car outside Community Hospital, where the pediatrician's office is located, WRTV reported. A hospital police officer saw the boy watching a movie inside the vehicle, which was unlocked with closed windows as outside temperatures reached 86 degrees, authorities said. The officer removed the child from the car and learned that Ost was his mother, according to WRTV.
Police arrested Ost, who said she decided to leave her son in the vehicle after he refused to go into the doctor's office, WXIN reported. Both boys are now in DCS custody, officials said.
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