Christmas Shopper Leaves Infant In Car

Photo

Photo Courtesy: 12-12-2007_peterson

WKRG.com Related Resources

More –› Related Articles

News –› Alabama

News –› Foley

Discuss this in the forum

By Pat Peterson Reporter

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Christmas Shopper Leaves Infant In Car

Published: Wed, December 12, 2007 - 7:35 pm

Pat Peterson

A Foley mother and firefighter has been charged with reckless endangerment, after police say she left her three-month old baby in her while she went shopping at Wal-Mart. Wendy Martell was booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Center Sunday afternoon. Police were called to the Highway 59 store Sunday when another shopper saw the crying baby in the back seat of Martell's car.

"When we interviewed her, she told us she forgot the child was in the back seat," says Foley Police Sgt. Tony Fuqua.

Temperatures were in the 70's Sunday afternoon across much of Southwest Alabama. Firefigthers say when they got the child out of the car, the temperature inside was over 90 degrees. The baby was rushed to the hospital and Martell was put in jail.

"It was the smartest thing to do," says Fuqua. "All parents should make their children a main priority. This woman could face up to a year in prison if she's convicted of reckless endangerement."

"How could she do that?" asks Miriam Wallace. "I don't even want to imagine what the child went through."

"I think it's ridiculous," says Shannon Crane, a Foley resident. "It's just sad, it's a helpless baby, it can't defend itself."

Foley Fire Chief Jamie Hinton has placed Martell on administrative leave. Hinton says Martell has been with the department for two years. The Department of Human Resources has been notified about the incident. The baby was released from the hospital Tuesday.

News Map

Email to a Friend

Printer Friendly

WHO CARES IF SHE IS YOUR SISTER OR NOT SHE IS AN IDIOT. I dont care if she told her husband to do something, if you have been married ofr any amount of time you know how men are and you have to check behing them. I put my children in on either side of the car and I know that they are there and you my dear are just as big an idiot for taking up for her. I hope that you dont have children of your and try to blame your husband for you leaving them in the car. That is just a lame cop-out. I hope she gets the max that they can give.

Posted by KSJD on 12/13/07 - 10:47 am • Report Abuse

You have to wonder, how many other times has she done this and gotten away with it? People who forget thier kids in the car, or in fact, LEAVE small kids in the car like that, even for “only 45 min” don’t deserve children period. Seally’s recollection doesn’t make sense if you read it. I am glad the baby is ok.

Posted by rabidpooh on 12/13/07 - 10:36 am • Report Abuse

What’s the difference between 45 minutes and an hour, Seally34? For a 3 month old, that’s a long time to be in a car when it happened to be a warm day. And who just forgets their child like that. The baby made no noise the whole time in the car on the way to Wal*Mart???? I don’t know about other people, but I have had two kids and when they were 3 months old, they would make their presence known in the car. Plus, you only look on the passenger’s side, how come she didn’t see the baby when she got out of the car?? I have tinted windows in my car and I can still see inside when I’m standing right there by my car. This whole story that seally told is no excuse. The whole story is just sad.

Posted by dh2004 on 12/13/07 - 10:16 am • Report Abuse

Oh good Greif.
You BELIEVE EVERYTHING the News reports ? As far as Seally34 goes. Just WHO are you ? I didn’t recall Wendy having a Sister named Seally?. Maybe you would care to share to ME who you are and why you call yourself her Sister.

Posted by dontalwaysbelieveeverythinguread on 12/13/07 - 8:51 am • Report Abuse

Your sister (Wendy) is stupid (stupid) stupid! She’s not concerned enough with her child to check past the passengers side of the back seat? How much more stupid can you get? And you have the NERVE to blame her husband? That “Stupid Gene” must run in the family. I hope she goes to jail for AT LEAST a year! Stupid woman. She “only stayed in there for 45 minutes”? SHE LEFT A 3-MONTH OLD BABY IN A CAR AT WALMART FOR 45 MINUTES! STUPID is not a strong enough word, unfortunately. I hope she got fixed so she cant have another child to abuse.

Posted by YourSisterIsStupid on 12/13/07 - 2:00 am • Report Abuse

This is my sister. Don’t call her stupid, call my brother in law stupid. See, Wendy (my sister) had told her husband (my brother in law Steve) to put the baby in the car. He put the baby (Hunter) behind the driver seat instead of the passenger seat. When she got to Wal- Mart she looked in the Passengr seat and Hunter wasn’t there. So she figured Steve didn’t do what she told him to. She went in wal-mart and waas talking to some pharmacist and someone came up and said someone left there baby in there truck. Well she called Steve on here cell and asked “Steve, do you have the baby?” Steve said “No, you have the baby!’’ She ran out to her car and the police had already gotten Hunter out. Hunter was rushed to the hospital and stayed over night. My sister is not in prison nor in jail. She is ok and so is Hunter. See the news is saying she satyed in Wal- Mart for an hour in a half. She only stayed in there for 45 min. That is how the REAL story goes.

Posted by seally34 on 12/12/07 - 11:53 pm • Report Abuse