Domonique Wilson, owner of a home daycare in Southeast Houston, faces serious legal trouble following allegations of endangering five children under her care. Arrested last Friday, Wilson has been charged with five counts of child endangerment, as reported by CW39. Police claim Wilson left five children in a hot car unattended while she took her two children inside a Kroger on Telephone Road to go shopping.
Witnesses outside the grocery store noticed the children in distress, with the car parked and the window only slightly open, amidst near triple-digit temperatures. A Kroger employee and others on the scene stepped in to assist. "There were five children in danger, who were found red-faced and in distress, crying with the window barely cracked and the car not running," a magistrate described during Wilson's court appearance, according to KHOU 11.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety protocols followed by daycare providers. Echoing the severity of the situation, one Kroger employee was reported by KHOU 11 saying, "The manager kept insisting it wasn’t on, the babies were sweating." Going into action, the store manager personally escorted two of the children quickly into the air-conditioned store, seeking help from a law enforcement officer.
Details concerning the length of time the children spent in the vehicle, or whether the car was locked throughout the period, remain unclear. Police and first responders were called to the location shortly after the children were discovered. "I came across the cop and I saw the Kroger manager running with two kids, one on her arm and another one in a carrier, running, screaming for the officer, 'I just found these two kids in the car with no AC on,'" a witness recounted to KHOU 11. If Wilson posts bail, set at $10,000 per charge, the court has stipulated that she will not be permitted to supervise any minors under the age of 17.
