Baby Left In 123-Degree Car Seat As Mom Paid Fine: Cops

TAMPA, FL — An off-duty Plant City Police officer is getting the credit for saving a baby girl from a sweltering hot car on Friday. The baby was allegedly left in the vehicle parked outside the Twiggs Street Hillsborough County Courthouse so her mother could run inside to pay a fine.

According to the Tampa Police Department, the incident began to unfold just after noon on April 21. The Plant City officer was flagged down by some people who spotted the baby inside a black Kia parked at the 901 E. Twiggs St. courthouse.

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“The off-duty officer observed the infant sitting inside a black vehicle that was turned off,” an email from the police department said. “The infant was showing signs of distress. Her face was red, she was sweating, and rubbing her eyes.”

Since the baby appeared to be in trouble, the off-duty officer, who has not been identified, “gained access to the interior of the vehicle” and removed the child from her car seat. The baby was then taken to the officer’s air-conditioned vehicle until Tampa Fire Rescue could arrive.

As the baby started cooling off, her mother, Brandi Leigh Guggino, returned, the police department said.

“She said she didn’t take the infant with her because she was asleep,” the police department’s email said. “She said she went inside the Hillsborough County Courthouse to pay a fine, but didn’t expect it to take so long.”

The police department noted that fire rescue took temperature readings inside the car. The ambient temperature was 93 degrees and the temperature of the car seat was 123 degrees, the email said.

The baby was taken to Tampa General Hospital to be checked out, but “did not appear to suffer any long-term injury.” The name of the baby and her age are not being released.

Her mother now faces child neglect charges. She was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail, but later released after posting $2,000 bond, jail records indicate.

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Booking photo courtesy of the Tampa Police Department