A woman is behind bars after a 5-year-old girl was found screaming for help inside a car early Monday in Ives Estates, according to authorities.
An arrest report details that a witness called 911 at around 2 a.m. when she heard the little girl yelling, “Somebody help me!” from inside a car parked at 1601 NE 191st Street.
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WATCH HEREThe witness said the girl was alone, unattended and strapped in her car seat.
After the witness got her out, police showed up and the child showed them the apartment where she lived.
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That’s where police found the suspect, 33-year-old Valerie Victoria Vincente, “who appeared to be in a sound sleep, was not dressed, disoriented and seemed to be intoxicated.”
Vincente became uncooperative, requested her attorney and was then arrested, police said.
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According to authorities, after Vincente's arrest, the 5-year-old explained to police that she went to a bonfire with her mother and fell asleep on the way home. When she woke up, she was alone in their car and tried to unbuckle herself from her car seat but was not able to.
The child started screaming for help because she was scared and hungry, the arrest report details.
“She explained the nice lady got her out of the car because she showed her how to open the door,” the report explains.
The girl told police which car was theirs, pointing to a blue BMW that was “improperly parked” and that had “an empty bottle of wine” on the floorboard in the backseat, authorities said.
Police said the window on the passenger side closest to the car seat was also partially lowered.
Vincente was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm.
