Latest news with #HeberCityPolice
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
WATCH: Heber City Police help child left in hot car, mom arrested and charged
This article contains descriptions of domestic violence and/or child abuse. If you suspect child abuse or neglect, contact the DCFS 24/7 hotline: 855-323-3237. For more information, visit HEBER CITY, Utah () — The Heber City Police Department has released body-worn camera footage of an incident where a mother while taking a driver's test. The child's mother, Eliana Suaza Argote, 34, has been charged with one count of intentional or knowing child abuse, a Class A misdemeanor. She was released on bail and has a preliminary waiver hearing on Aug. 27, 2025. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Heber City woman arrested for leaving child in hot car while she took a driver's test Bodycam video of the incident Reader information: The majority of this video is in Spanish, and an explanation of what was said is available below. In the bodycam video, obtained by through a records request, a Heber City Police Officer can be seen approaching the vehicle and opening the door after he sees and hears a child crying. He opens the driver's side door, finding that the door is unlocked. According to court documents, responding officers arrived just after 9 a.m. Police believed that the car had been in the parking lot for over an hour. The engine was turned off, meaning there was no air conditioning, and all of the windows were completely rolled up. The video shows a conversation between the child and the responding officer, both speaking Spanish. The officer asks why the child is crying, and he responds that he is hot. In documents, the officer wrote that the child looked 'sluggish,' was drenched in sweat, and had taken his shirt off due to the heat. 'Come with me,' the officer tells the child in Spanish. He tries to get him out through the front driver's side door, as the back doors are locked. 'It's hot as h— in there,' he tells another officer on scene while retrieving water for the child. The responding officer can be seen reaching through the vehicle to unlock the back door and let the child out. Police lead the child to a shaded area on the grass in front of the Driver's License Division building. Officers called for an emergency medical services (EMS) vehicle to respond. SAFETY: Dangers of leaving children in hot cars and the law that protects good Samaritans A phone was left in the vehicle with the child, and officers spoke with the child to find an adult family member they could contact. One of the officers goes inside to find the child's mother, and the other remains with the child. While outside with the child, the officer asks if he was in the car for very long, and the child nods. He explains that they're looking for his mother, and offers the child a snack from his patrol vehicle. The child tells the officer that he's seven years old. The other officer returns and says that she couldn't locate anyone by the name the child told them. Right at that time, an ambulance arrives at the scene, and the two officers explained the young boy's condition. The bodycam video concludes after the child is taken into the ambulance by EMS. According to documents, responders found that he was lethargic and had high blood pressure, but would be okay. Court documents say that the child's mother, Argote, was eventually located inside and claimed that she was not gone for very long. Surveillance footage revealed that she had entered the building just after 8 a.m. and had not come outside to check on her child for over 68 minutes. At that point, she was arrested and booked into the Wasatch County Jail. Abigail Jones contributed to this report. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Latest headlines: COLD CASE: Murder of six-year-old Rosie Tapia remains unsolved after thirty years Texas woman sues man she says spiked her drink with abortion pills 78-year-old cancer patient's dog fatally shot in front of her 'Particularly unfair': AriZona founder considers raising price of iconic 99-cent iced tea Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints installs water-wise landscaping, hopes to save 500M gallons of water Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
Moment sweat-drenched child is rescued from sweltering Utah car while mother was taking driving test
A seven-year-old child was rescued from a dangerously hot car in Utah while his mother was allegedly taking a driving test. The unidentified child was discovered drenched in sweat and acting 'sluggish' when officers with the Heber City Police Department entered the Driver's License Division parking lot on August 4. Authorities arrived at the scene at 9.04am after a person reported seeing the child lying in the back of the car, which was locked and turned off for more than an hour. The officer saved the child, who had taken his shirt off due to the heat, after realizing the driver's door was unlocked. He then told the officer that he was trapped inside for a long time and that he was looking for his mother, Eliana Suaza Argote, 34. Argote was located by police inside the building soon after her son was examined by paramedics. He was lethargic and had high blood pressure. The mom told police she did not leave her child for very long, but according to surveillance footage, she entered around 8am and did not come back outside to check on her son for more than 68 minutes, court documents reviewed by ABC4 revealed. The outside temperature reached 91F that day, meaning it was about 120F in the car. Dramatic police bodycam footage showed a male officer approaching a silver Chevy sedan with the crying child inside. Once he opened the unlocked door, the officer spoke to the seven-year-old in Spanish, asking how he was doing. The child's voice then trembled as he replied to the officer. The cop then adjusted the driver's seat to gain access to the boy. The child, dressed in only shorts, then grabbed a long-sleeved striped shirt and put it back on as the officer told him he would get him water. The cop then walked back to his partner, saying: 'That car's hot as hell dude. And the kid's crying cause he's hot.' 'I'm gonna grab him some water,' the officer said as his female partner went to check on the kid. 'He said the mom's in there, probably at the DMV,' the male officer added as he pointed toward the brown brick building. The video then cut to the officer opening a bottle of water for the young boy who immediately drank it. Paramedics were then seen assessing the child, who cops got out of the car and onto nearby grass. 'So, he's been in the hot car for at least an hour and 20 minutes,' the male cop told the paramedic. 'Oh my gosh,' the first responder replied as she interacted with the boy. A phone was left inside the scorching car with the child, who eventually gave officers a family member they could contact about the incident. Argote has been charged with one count of intentional or knowing child abuse. She was booked into the Wasatch County Jail but has since been released on bail. Argote due back in court on August 27.
