LAKE CITY, Fla. — A woman is facing charges of child neglect after Lake City Police said she locked her two-year-old child inside a car at a movie theater Saturday with a heat index of more than 107 degrees.

Lake City Police officers said they responded to a report of a child locked inside a car Saturday. 

Police said Tipora Merriex was arrested Saturday after the child was found flushed, sweating and crying inside the car. 

During the investigation, police said Merriex took her children to the movie theater at 2830 W. U.S. Hwy 90 Saturday when, after multiple disruptions in the theater, police said she removed her two-year-old child and left her locked inside a car, while returning to the theater. 

Police said witnesses confirmed Merriex remained inside the theater while the child was left alone in the heat. The outside temperature at the time was 94 degrees with a heat index of 107 degrees.

Merriex was arrested and sent to the Columbia County Detention Center.

The child was taken to the hospital. We’re working to learn their condition.

“Our officers acted swiftly to ensure the safety of this young child,” said Lake City Chief of Police Gerald Butler. “Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle under these conditions is unacceptable. We are thankful the child is safe and urge all parents to prioritize the well-being of their children at all times.”

Anyone with more information on this crime is asked to call Lake City Police at (386) 752-4343.