Lexington Woman To Be Arraigned For Leaving Child In Hot Van
Lexington Woman To Be Arraigned For Leaving Child In Hot Van Save Email Print
Posted: 8:40 AM Sep 7, 2008
 Last Updated: 8:58 AM Sep 7, 2008
30 comments
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LEXINGTON, KY -- A Lexington woman charged with allegedly leaving her three-year old child in a hot van Saturday will be arraiged in Fayette District Court tomorrow (Monday).

Thirty-seven year old Tanuja Patel was arrested by police, accused of leaving the child in the van outside Bed, Bath & Beyond.

A witness told police she saw the child asleep in a car seat, the van was not running and the windows were rolled up. The incident occured about 3:pm. in the parking lot outside the Nicholasville Road store.

Patel was taken to the Fayette County Detention Center and later released on $5-thousand dollars cash bond. She is to be arraigned at 1pm.
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Posted by: crutcher Location: Illinois on Sep 16, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Everyone is blaming Bed Bath and Beyond. How can you blame a company when all the people they can hire in kentucky have a similar intelligence of the mother. They do not hire PHDs to work in stores usually. Does everyone boycott Mc Donalds for an employee mistake that they make? From what it sounds like Bed Bath and Beyond have a policy for the employees to not get involved with problems in the parking lot and that is probably for the employees safety. I am sure in the policy it did not state that the police should not be called if needed. Get a brain.
Posted by: Mom of Four on Sep 10, 2008 at 05:57 PM
HP, What exactly is this mother's story? It is a felony in the state of Kentucky to leave a young child unattended in a car. It may be legal to do so in other places, but it is not in KY. The law was enacted to protect the children of people with no common sense. People living in the state of KY can choose to follow our state laws or face the consequences of ignoring them. Again, HP, just what IS the mother's side of the story? Because all I see is a child who could have died as a result of his parent neglecting to follow our state law.
Posted by: Randy Location: winchester on Sep 10, 2008 at 04:10 PM
WHAT IN GODS NAME IS HAPPENING TO PEOPLE? WE NEED TO START PAYING ATTENTION TO WHATS GOING ON AROUND US. AND GET INVOLVED!JUST STOP AND THINK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE MAY HAVE WALKED PAST THAT VAN AND SAID "ITS NOT MY PROBLEM AND I DON'T WAT TO GET INVOLVED".AND THEN WHAT IF THEY WENT HOME TURNED THEIR TV ON TO FIND OUT THAT CHILD HAD DIED!COULD YOU LIVE WITH YOUR SELF?
Posted by: biggie smalls Location: harold ky on Sep 10, 2008 at 04:05 PM
I always say if they cant take care of them why have them. The child should be taken away from her and give to someone who really cares about children
Posted by: bigboy Location: inyourface on Sep 10, 2008 at 10:19 AM
HP? we do not care what her story is there is no story that could make this action less wrong. grow up and quit being an idiot i mean come on are you smoking something?
Posted by: Connie on Sep 10, 2008 at 09:58 AM
Who cares what the mothers side of the story is.She left that child in the van, and cannot blame anyone but herself.Now she needs to be punished for what she has done.
Posted by: green on Sep 10, 2008 at 09:31 AM
The mother doesn't have an excuse. You should NEVER leave a child alone in a car. Her side of the story? I'd love to hear that. What is in Bed, Bath and Beyond that is more important then her child's safety?
Posted by: mel Location: lex on Sep 10, 2008 at 09:26 AM
Just keeps getting deeper...now there are 3 ignorant people involved. The store, the mother, and HP who is attempting to defend the mother.
Posted by: former customer on Sep 10, 2008 at 09:21 AM
I wonder if bed bath and beyond will call emergency services if they're ever held up?! You bet they will! Self centered and cold hearted..I'll take my business elsewhere!
Posted by: Fred Location: Lexington on Sep 9, 2008 at 09:08 PM
To HP on Sep 8, 2008 at 08:19 PM - Here's the mother's side..."This child is too much of an inconvenience to me to take into a store." B.S. I have a two year old. I don't EVER leave him in the car unattended. If in fact "this child is raised in a healthy environment with parents that care for him", he wouldn't have been left in a car. Pretty simple when you break it down, eh?
Posted by: mj Location: lex on Sep 9, 2008 at 08:02 AM
She must not read the paper or watch the news. This kind of thing is happening almost daily in Kentucky and people are going to jail and losing custody of their kids. What an idiot. I'm with the rest of you who took Bed, Bath & Beyond off the list of places they will shop.
Posted by: HP on Sep 8, 2008 at 11:19 PM
For all you people who are out there accusing the mother, did you ever stop to think maybe what the MOTHER's SIDE OF THE STORY is? unfortunately for you people, you don't know this mother. All you are out to do is judge someone. unfortunately for the rest of you, you do not know that this child is raised in a healthy environment with parents that care for him. stop trying to look like concerned citizens by posting comments and get on with your own life.
Posted by: Melissa Location: Kentucky on Sep 8, 2008 at 05:16 PM
Watch her plead " Mental Distress" and WALK!
Posted by: nextoneup Location: wk on Sep 8, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Not enough is being said about the store's ignorance here either. I WILL NOT shop at Bed, Bath & Beyond again. Minutes in this child's life could have meant its future.
Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 8, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Bed, bath and beyond just lost my buissness
Posted by: Julie Location: Winchester on Sep 8, 2008 at 09:41 AM
I would not have wasted my time going in the store, I would have busted their window out and got the baby, then called the police. I would have just had to take a chance getting in trouble I guess. Minutes make a difference in these situations.
Posted by: Chris Location: Paris on Sep 8, 2008 at 09:08 AM
Penalties for crimes against children should be alot stiffer, do not just give them a slap on the wrist and send them on their way. We need to protect our children better. What kind of store would refuse to call law enforcement in any kind of emergency! I think that no matter what the phone policy for that store was, the employee should have acted like a human being and called anyway. I don't think I want to give my business to a place that would let an innocent child die to follow a lame policy. This mother should be jailed for a very long time and should never be able to have contact with her child again. Do people in this world not realize that not only do they have to worry about the heat in a vehicle but what about all the child molesters and murderers out there that would love to get a hold of your child and rape, sodomize tourture, and kill your child. Come on people, protect our children, and if you don't want that responsibilty don't have babies or give them up for adoption.
Posted by: bigboy Location: inthecar on Sep 8, 2008 at 08:33 AM
i say hang the lady in the court house square. she obviously left the child alone on purpose maybe she had enough of the little booger. i hope the child will be okay. for the mother burn in hell.
Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 8, 2008 at 07:45 AM
Idiot, stupidty is not an excuse when you have children, she is just a selfish, hearless piece of garbage.
Posted by: Connie Location: Berea on Sep 8, 2008 at 06:53 AM
I guess she will plead NOT GUILTY also, just like the grandmother here in Berea! What a joke! Come on people someone needs to stand up for these defenseless children, and make these adults pay for their "mistakes".
Posted by: Anonymous on Sep 8, 2008 at 06:33 AM
I hope the child is alright and has a happy life. I hope the mother gets herself together.
Posted by: Brandi Location: Powell County on Sep 8, 2008 at 06:31 AM
I am so sick and tired of hearing about mothers/fathers who don't care of the most precious gift that God can give you. Some people who can't have babies would LOVE the opportunity to even have that baby at all, but then we have idiots like this one leave her three year old baby in the car?! I don't care if that baby was asleep or not - a TRUE mother would have not gone into the store to shop if she didn't want to wake her baby up.
Posted by: ME Location: Lexington on Sep 8, 2008 at 06:08 AM
If something would have happened to this child, Bed Bath and Beyond should have been accountable. They refused to let the people who discovered the child call police from their phone. The store could have cost this child his life and all because Bed Bath and Beyond refused th phone. I'm not sure I want to shop at a place like this.
Posted by: Mom of four on Sep 7, 2008 at 10:10 PM
What was this mother thinking? Was she so distracted that she forgot her child was in the car? Did she lack the common sense to know that leaving a child unattended in an automobile, and a hot one at that, is dangerous and often fatal? And what of the store manager who refused to call 911? And refused to allow the alert couple ,who found the child, access to a store telephone to do so themselves? This child is lucky to be alive. I sincerely hope this mother sees this situation as a close call, and takes advantage of the chance she has been given to reprioritize her life in caring for her living son. I hope that the store manager in question can look within herself and rearrange her priorities, also. I'm not sure that I would want someone so lacking in good judgement managing my business . And I wouldn't want either woman close to my children.
Posted by: pikegal Location: pikeville on Sep 7, 2008 at 05:31 PM
True idiot!!!
Posted by: jeff Location: ky on Sep 7, 2008 at 01:49 PM
OOPS,, she forgot her priorities, in such a slow pace world, ha ha ,, how is it our familes seem to be the least important thing in our lives?
Posted by: tonya Location: LONDON on Sep 7, 2008 at 10:37 AM
I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOOSING THERE MINDS LEAVING A KID IN A HOT VAN.SHE NEEDS TO BE STILL IN JAIL.WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO LEARN THEIR RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
Posted by: anon Location: Salyersville on Sep 7, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Maybe it was on purpose...
Posted by: Granny Location: KY on Sep 7, 2008 at 10:18 AM
I agree with you *Mother* She should be jailed for a very long time..But first she needs to be locked up in her van with the windows rolled up and no air on ..Let her feel what that baby felt ..Thank God we've got people watching and willing to call the police..Thank YOU to the witness!!
Posted by: MOTHER Location: pike county on Sep 7, 2008 at 09:31 AM
This person should be jailed for this action. A real concerned mother would never leave her child in a locked car/van for any reason..When is people going to learn and be responsible for their actions...
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