South Carolina: Melony Peters, 46, arrested after going grocery shopping and leaving dog and baby in hot car

SOUTH CAROLINA -- A Lugoff woman has been arrested and charged after deputies say she left a 16-month-old and dog in her car while she was grocery shopping.

Melony Peters, 46, was arrested Tuesday and charged with child neglect.

A person at the Food Lion in Lugoff called deputies at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday after seeing the child and dog inside the car unattended. When deputies arrived, they found a dog in the car, but no child.

Food Lion grocery store in Lugoff, SC

A short time later, Sheriff James Matthews says a woman walked out of the store carrying a child "drenched in sweat." The woman told deputies she saw the child in the car and she unlocked the car and removed the infant.

Nice that the  "Good Samaritans" removed the baby from the boiling hot car, but they left the poor dog inside to die. Jerks.

Deputies located Peters inside the store and determined she was the caretaker (aka babysitter) of the child. Matthews says she told deputies she had "a lot of things going on in her mind and had forgotten the baby was in the car."

The child was turned over to the Department of Social Services and Kershaw County Special Services took custody of the dog.

“This should be a lesson to anyone, a parent or custodian of a child, that if you get caught leaving a baby, unattended in a hot car while you shop, you will go to jail,” said Matthews. “There is NO excuse for doing this. Fortunately, a concerned citizen took immediate and appropriate action to save this child.”

(KAIT - May 25, 2016)

MELONY PETERS' PARTIAL CRIMINAL HISTORY:

Name: Melony Yvonne Peters
Year of birth: 1970 / Other DOB found: 12/xx/1969
Age at arrest: 46
Gender: Female
Height: 5'04"
Weight: 140 lbs
Hair Color: Blone
Eye Color: Green

Date of arrest: 05/24/2016
Arresting agency: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office
County: Kershaw County, SC
Charge:

• Child Neglect

Previous arrest date: 02/10/2016
Arresting agency: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office
County: Kershaw County, SC
Charges:

• #1 Traffic / Speeding, more than 10 but less than 15 mph over the speed limit 2355. BOND: $185.
• #2 Drugs / Poss. of 28g (1 oz) or less of marijuana or 10g or less of hash - 1st offense 796. BOND: $620.
• #3 DUS / Driving under suspension, license not suspended for DUI - 1st offense 970. BOND: $652.
• #4 Traffic / Failure to maintain proof of insurance in motor vehicle (same penalty as 2472) 2219. BOND: $237.
• Total Bond: $1,694

Previous arrest date: 01/23/2016

Arresting agency: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office

County: Kershaw County, SC

Charge:

• #1 DUI / Driving under the influence, .08, 1st offense 926.

Previous arrest date: 05/10/2008

Arresting agency: Elgin Police Department

County: Kershaw County, SC

Charge: 

• 0 0.0 0.0 21163 90902 MUNICIPAL BW ELGIN. BOND: $78.

Previous arrest date: 03/27/2008

Arresting agency: Elgin Police Department

County: Kershaw County, SC

Charge: 

• 0 0.0 0.0 20098 90905 MUNICIPAL COMMITMENT.

Previous arrest date: 06/03/2006

Arresting agency: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office

County: Kershaw County, SC

Charge: 

• 0 0.0 0.0 5102 90904 MAGISTRATE B/W. BOND: $125.