Opelika Police arrested two people Tuesday after they allegedly left a child in their hot car.

One incident occurred Tuesday afternoon around 5:15 p.m. at a restaurant located in the 3900 block of Pepperell Parkway. Officers met with the person who reported the negligence.

They then investigated the car and found a two-year-old child sleeping in the car. Authorities discovered that even though the vehicle’s windows were cracked, the car was turned off and locked. Police say that the child had been left by its parents, who were eating inside the restaurant, for about 10 minutes before they arrived. 

Authorities then took the child out of the car and took it to East Alabama Medical Center. The child was later released. Irma Yolanda Lucas Perez and her companion Cornelio Gomez Lopez were subsequently arrested and charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child. Perez, 27, and Lopez, 22, were taken to Lee County Jail. 

Lopez originally lied about his name when authorities questioned him. He has since been charged with giving a false name to law enforcement. Perez, the mother, also lied about the age of the child, saying he was three instead of two-years-old.

Opelika Police advise people not to leave their children inside a car unattended, most especially in hot temperatures. Car temperature can quickly increase even when the windows are cracked. Authorities urge anyone who sees a child left unattended in a car to contact police and emergency medical personnel immediately.