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Inset: Erika D. Johnson (Beaufort County Detention Center). Background: The Walmart where Johnson allegedly left her kids in an overheating car (Google Maps).
A 35-year-old North Carolina mother found herself under arrest this weekend after allegedly leaving her infant and toddler unattended in a sweltering car while she engaged in shoplifting at a local Walmart.
Authorities apprehended Erika Dixon Johnson on Saturday, charging her with multiple offenses including two counts of child abuse and one count of shoplifting by hiding merchandise, according to court records.
The incident is said to have occurred around 6:15 p.m. on March 14, at the Walmart located on the 500 block of Pamlico Plaza in Washington, North Carolina, roughly 250 miles east of Charlotte.
Johnson had previously been warned against entering the store, as noted by Walmart’s Loss Prevention team due to an earlier incident at the same location. Consequently, she faced an additional charge of second-degree trespassing.
Washington Police Department officers were called to the store following reports of a woman shoplifting. According to the charges, Johnson “unlawfully and willfully” hid “various clothing items” in a trash can, attempting to sneak them out without paying.
Johnson was with her 3-year-old daughter in the store when she was initially detained for shoplifting, the documents state. As she was being questioned by police, the little girl allegedly said something about her two siblings still being in their parked car.
When the officers asked Johnson about the location of her car, she allegedly lied about where she had parked. Her refusal to disclose the location of the car “which contained abused children” resulted in her being charged with two counts of resisting a public officer.
Police say they soon located Johnson’s blue van, which was parked in a designated accessible spot in front of the store with two young children — a 3-month-old and a 2-year-old — “overheating” inside. Both children were reportedly sweating and not moving, a law enforcement official told local NBC affiliate WITN.
The two children found inside the vehicle were transported to a local hospital and were said to be in stable condition.
Johnson is currently being held in the Beaufort County Detention Center on $35,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 6.