Mother Leaves Kids in Unlocked Car, Shops for Beauty Supplies, Police Say

A 22-year-old Milwaukee woman left her 4-year-old and an infant in an unlocked car while she shopped at a beauty supply store, police say.

Ashly Rodriguez-Santiago was charged with two misdemeanor counts of neglecting a child in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on May 31.

According to the Greenfield Police Department report, a woman flagged down a Greenfield officer and told him there were two children left unattended in a black Honda Accord station wagon around noon in the parking lot of Sally Beauty Supply, 4269 S. 76th St., May 29.

The officer found the two children, including a 9-month-old who was screaming, in the backseat of the car. The doors were unlocked.

While the officer was with the children, their mother came out of the store and told the officer she had been inside for about 10 minutes. She told the officer she made a mistake leaving the children in the unlocked car.

Rodriguez-Santiago is scheduled to have a pre-trial conference June 10.