(CMR) A Florida woman was arrested and charged after her car caught fire with her unattended children inside while she shoplifted inside a mall in Oviedo.
Alicia Moore (24) reportedly parked in a Dillard’s parking lot around noon on May 26, leaving her two children in the car, and went inside the store. Loss prevention personnel watched her and an unknown man shoplift items for about an hour.
According to a police report, Moore was leaving the store when she saw her car engulfed in flames, dropped the stolen merchandise, and ran out of the store.
Shoppers nearby helped rescue the children from the flames, and they were transported to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. One child suffered first-degree burns to her face and ears.
According to a CNN report, Moore was arrested by the Orlando Police Department for outstanding warrants unrelated to the incident. While in custody at the Orange County Jail, she was charged with aggravated child neglect and arson.
“It is undetermined what ignited the fire; however, if Moore was not being neglectful, it is unlikely [the child] would have been injured,” police said.
Moore was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty to both charges related to the incident with her children.
She also faced four additional charges of petty theft, battery, and assault from previous incidents and is being held on a $48,000 bond, according to jail records.
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