Sheriff’s deputy Antonio Almaraz is fired for leaving his OWN baby in hot car for three hours in searing 90F Texas heat, leaving infant in need of hospital treatment
Sheriff’s Deputy Antonio Almaraz is fired for leaving his OWN baby in a hot car for three hours in the scorching 90F Texas heat, leaving the infant requiring hospital treatment.
- Antonio Almaraz, a 31-year-old sheriff’s deputy, was arrested after locking his two-month-old daughter in a car as the temperature outside rose to 90F.
- The baby was found unconscious and remains in critical condition
- Almaraz faced several charges after making conflicting statements, the sheriff’s office said.
A Texas sheriff’s deputy was fired after leaving his own two-month-old baby in a car for three hours while it was 90F outside on Monday.
Antonio Almaraz, 31, was arrested on charges of child injury, child endangerment and child abandonment, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office said Almaraz took her baby to a routine pediatric appointment at 9 a.m. Monday.
After returning around 10 a.m., he left his baby inside the vehicle and drove home himself as the temperature outside rose to 90F.
An ambulance arrived at Almaraz’s home, in the 5000 block of Mansions Bluff, at 1:07 p.m., three hours after the baby was trapped in the car.
Antonio Almaraz (pictured), a 31-year-old sheriff’s deputy, was arrested after locking his two-month-old daughter in a car as the temperature outside rose to 90F.
The sheriff’s office said Almaraz took her baby to a routine pediatric appointment at 9 a.m. Monday. When he returned home, he went inside but left the newborn in the car.
The two-month-old child was found unconscious. She was rushed to Methodist Hospital, where she remains in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said.
Almaraz gave conflicting accounts of the incident when the sheriff’s office investigated the matter and he was arrested.
His bond was set at $80,000.
The incident led to his dismissal as a trainee deputy.
The Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that Almaraz will not be able to appeal his termination or seek reemployment, regardless of the outcome of the criminal case.
“Given the awareness in the community about leaving children unattended in vehicles, there is absolutely no valid excuse for this to happen,” said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
“My family and I are praying for the best possible outcome for this precious baby.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stated that a vehicle’s interior can jump 20 degrees in ten minutes.
The temperature inside the car could reach 137F when the baby was found, according to a temperature calculator. A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s, which can lead to heat stroke and death.
An ambulance arrived at Almaraz’s home, in the 5000 block of Mansions Bluff, at 1:07 p.m., three hours after the baby was trapped in the car.
The incident led to Almaraz’s dismissal from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Being stuck in a car during the recent extreme weather in Texas is a potentially life-threatening situation.
Last week, Texas firefighters rescued a 10-month-old baby trapped in a car in 107F heat in just four minutes after his mother accidentally locked his keys inside.
After a minute of unsuccessfully trying to unlock the car, firefighters decided to break the rear door window.
The baby was released safely after being locked up for four minutes.