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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; A 3-year-old boy was unharmed Monday after his mother left him alone in an SUV in scorching temperatures while she shopped for a microwave, township police said.</p><p>Rachel Johnson, of Mountain Top, will be cited for leaving an unattended child in a motor vehicle, township patrolman Matt Godlewski said, and a referral has been made to Luzerne County Children and Youth Services. Johnson will be fined, he said.</p><p>Police, paramedics and firefighters responded to the township Walmart just before 4 p.m. for a witness report that a child was locked in an SUV with the windows up for about a half hour, police said at the scene.</p><p>The temperature in the township at the time was approximately 91 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.</p><p>Johnson took three other children into the store as she purchased a microwave but left the 3-year-old behind, Godlewski said. He said the boy was examined by paramedics and appeared to be unharmed. Paramedics also indicated the temperature inside the vehicle appeared to be cool when they retrieved the child, he said.</p><p>Johnson claimed she turned on the vehicle&#8217;s remote starter when she went into the store, Godlewski said. However, the car wouldn&#8217;t have run indefinitely as most remote starters typically shut off after about 15 minutes of run time, he noted.</p><p>&#8220;We were fortunate the child in this case wasn&#8217;t in any real distress,&#8221; Godlewski said.</p><p>Township Sgt. Tom Elick said the incident boiled down to laziness.</p><p>&#8220;She thought it was more convenient to go inside the store instead of waking up the child,&#8221; Elick said.</p><p>He added that in addition to being placed in danger from the heat, the child was also at risk for being abducted.</p><p>The officers urged shoppers to use their common sense when it comes to leaving a child unattended. They encouraged anyone who sees a child or pet left unattended in a vehicle to call 911.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Township police say a woman will face a citation at minimum for allegedly leaving a 3-year-old boy in an SUV in the Walmart parking lot in Wilkes-Barre Township. The case will be referred to Luzerne County Children and Youth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_kidincar-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Township police say a woman will face a citation at minimum for allegedly leaving a 3-year-old boy in an SUV in the Walmart parking lot in Wilkes-Barre Township. The case will be referred to Luzerne County Children and Youth. </caption0><photoCredit0>Joe Dolinsky | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Police: Mother cited, Children and Youth notified after mom leaves boy, 3, alone in SUV