A woman who left two juveniles in a vehicle while she went shopping at the Meijer in Portage now faces a felony neglect charge.
Brenetta W. Perry, 73, of Gary, is charged with a Level 6 felony of neglect of a dependent. The charge specifies that she endangered the health of the juveniles by leaving them unsupervised.
Perry traveled to the Meijer on U.S. 6 in Portage on May 20.
She went inside the store and left the two children — whose ages weren’t revealed — in the vehicle without supervision, according to a probable cause statement.
When a Portage Police officer responded, they discovered that the younger of the two children had exited the vehicle and was playing in the parking lot. The other child was asleep inside the car, the court record says.
Perry was arrested on a warrant on May 29 and is free after posting a $1,500 cash bond. Her next court hearing is set for June 10 before a magistrate in Porter Superior Court 2.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
