Background: The Walmart supercenter in Warrington, Pennsylvania (Google Maps). Inset: Tina DeCarla (Warrington Township Police Department).
A Pennsylvania mother is accused of leaving her 4-month-old baby "in an unauthorized restraint" in the front seat of her vehicle while she went into Walmart to shop.
Tina DeCarla, 42, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, court records reviewed by Law&Crime state. Her bail was set at $100,000.
On Jan. 10 at approximately 3:49 p.m., DeCarla pulled into the Walmart parking lot located on Valley Gate Drive in Warrington, a suburb of Philadelphia, according to the Warrington Township Police Department. Six minutes later, she left her vehicle and entered the store.
While the defendant was inside the store, "a customer reported observing an infant asleep inside the vehicle, seated in an unauthorized restraint positioned in the front seat and facing forward," police said. Then, more than 20 minutes after leaving her baby alone, DeCarla returned.
Though the witness reportedly asked DeCarla to stay in the parking lot until police arrived, "DeCarla fled the area prior to officers' arrival." Officers investigated, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Six days later, officers arrived at DeCarla's home in Warminster, about 5 miles away from the Walmart, and took her into custody. Police noted that at the time of her arrest, "DeCarla was also found to have an active warrant" issued by detectives in Bucks County.
Court records show that DeCarla faces other charges including perjury, tampering with a public record, and forgery.
The defendant is being held in the Bucks County Correctional Facility. As part of her bail conditions, she was ordered to cooperate with Bucks County Children and Youth Services and to have no contact with her baby. As of Tuesday, authorities said she was unable to post bail.
In the case involving Walmart, DeCarla is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 9.