OZARK COUNTY, Mo. -- A woman from Gainesville, Missouri is charged with child endangerment after being accused of leaving her daughter in a hot car at Miller's Gas Station in Ozark County on April 8, 2024.

Court records state that Corinna Walker has been charged with a felony of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, creating substantial risk.

Court documents say a sergeant with the Ozark County Sheriff's Office reviewed footage of the incident and reported that Walker was in Miller's for about 26 minutes while her daughter was in a vehicle that was turned off and unattended with windows rolled up while it was 76 degrees outside. A car temperature calculator revealed that it would have been 110 degrees inside the car when the child was alone in the vehicle.

On April 15, Walker was interviewed by an Ozark County deputy and the Children's Division about the incident. She said when she arrived at Miller's, she got out of her car to smoke a cigarette while her daughter was buckled in the back seat of the car. Then, she shut off the car, locked the doors and went inside Miller's to pick up a pizza, according to court documents.

After paying for the pizza, she used an ATM to withdraw money to try out a slot machine in the convenience store. Walker allegedly said she was standing at the slot machine for around 10 to 15 minutes, looking periodically out the window to check on her daughter.

Walker is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 27 at 9 a.m.

News Source : https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/gainesville-woman-accused-of-leaving-child-in-hot-car-while-playing-slots-at-gas-station/