Florida child neglect charges have been brought against a Melbourne woman who police say left her two young children, including an infant, unattended in a sweltering car while she entered a Walmart to collect a nutritional supplement. Lovenia Brooks, 33, faces two counts of child neglect following the incident on 11 July, with charges formally filed on WPBF‘s reported date of 15 July 2026.
According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Brooks parked her red Mitsubishi SUV in the fire lane outside the Walmart in Brevard County and left the children inside while she went to buy PediaSure. WESH reports the vehicle’s air conditioning was off during the time the children were left alone.
A passer-by spotted the children unattended and contacted police. The bystander remained by the SUV, which was not running, while the windows were rolled down. The baby was described in the affidavit as ‘actively upset and crying.’
Nine Minutes Alone in 96.6°F Heat
Surveillance footage confirmed that Brooks was inside the store for nine minutes before returning to the vehicle. The air temperature in Melbourne that day reached 96.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat advisory in effect at the time, according to the affidavit.
When Brooks returned, the bystander told the responding Melbourne Police Department officer that she drove away ‘recklessly’ and came close to a collision. A traffic officer joined the initial officer in pursuing her, and both pulled Brooks over shortly afterwards.
At the scene, officers observed that one child was improperly buckled in a rear-facing car seat while the other was entirely unsecured in the back seat. Brooks told police she had been ‘just quickly running inside’ for PediaSure. When asked why she had not brought the children into the store, she said ‘she should have and that she was just trying to get one thing done.’
Florida Child Neglect Charges and the Law on Hot Cars
As WFTV reported, the charges relate specifically to leaving children in a hot vehicle, a category of child neglect prosecuted with increasing frequency across Florida during summer months. The two-count charge reflects the presence of two children, each treated as a separate count under the applicable statute.
WFLA covered the case as part of broader statewide coverage of hot-car child neglect incidents, underscoring the regularity with which Florida law enforcement encounters similar circumstances during high-temperature periods.
The affidavit records that the vehicle was not running and the windows were merely rolled down, a factor likely to feature in any subsequent proceedings given the external temperature and the age of the children involved. Whether Brooks secures legal representation and how she responds to the charges at arraignment will determine the case’s next procedural steps.
