A woman confronted by police when three young children were found in a locked, non-running vehicle at a gas station now faces charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest.
Mariana Quintero-Hernandez, 24, of Bastrop, was released from custody Friday, May 10, after posting bonds totaling $2,500, officials said.
Hernandez
The case stems from a Thursday, May 9, incident at the Texaco, 2200 W. Second St., when officers responded at 9:43 p.m. to a report of children left in a car that was turned off for about 30 minutes.
A weather report indicates the temperature was 76 degrees at the time, but earlier in the day the mercury had soared to 91 degrees.
A woman questioned at the scene was identified as the children’s mother, police said.
“The arrested subject had been drinking an alcoholic beverage in the parking lot of the gas station, and was found to be intoxicated,” police Commander Joseph Branson said Monday, May 13.
According to reports, officers observed three young children in the vehicle and one was “very distressed.”
Each child was under the age of 4, according to Branson. “None of the children needed medical attention,” Branson said. “A family member was able to come and pick them up.”
The woman confronted by the officers was “a danger to herself and others,” Branson said. She also began walking away and resisted when police tried to stop her, the commander added.
No other charges have been reported.
According to Branson, individuals can be arrested under Texas law for leaving a child in a vehicle, but in this case, officials decided against such a course of action due to a “totality of circumstances.”
The resisting arrest charge is a Class A misdemeanor, which can carry up a sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine not to exceed $4,000. Public intoxication is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $500 fine.
