World News | Florida woman charged with child neglect after car catches fire in alleged shoplifting

Oviedo, Fla., June 4 (AP) — A Florida woman faces aggravated child neglect and arson charges after her car was engulfed in flames during an alleged shoplifting at a mall, according to an arrest report .

Alicia Moore, 24, parked her car on May 26 in a parking lot outside the Dillard’s department store in the Oviedo shopping center, according to an arrest report filed with the Oviedo Police Department. The report states that Moore left the child in the vehicle. Their names and ages were removed.

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Security services reportedly saw Moore shoplifting at Dillard’s with an unknown man. About an hour later, Moore started to leave Dillards, saw her car engulfed in flames and threw away the merchandise before she could leave the store.

Bystanders at the mall saw the vehicle and rescued children inside who were trying to escape the flames. The children were taken to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. A child suffered first-degree burns “to the face and ears,” according to the arrest report.

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According to reports, Moore was charged with aggravated child neglect for allegedly leaving a child who was unable to care for himself alone in the car.

Police said they didn’t know what started the fire, but said it was unlikely the children had been injured if Moore had been “not negligent.” Moore was charged with arson because she was suspected of a felony at the time of the fire, the arrest report said.

Moore was represented by the public defender’s office, according to court records. An email seeking comment was sent to the office late Saturday and was not immediately returned.

Moore is being held on $40,000 bond. On Friday, a public defender filed a motion calling for Moore to be released without bail or to have his bond reduced to a “reasonable and affordable amount.” (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)