LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas grandmother, Julia Hardy, is facing charges of child abuse and animal neglect after allegedly leaving two young children, one of them a 6-month-old infant strapped in a car seat, alone in an 82-degree home, according to police reports.

The incident came to light on May 24 when a Child Protective Services (CPS) employee contacted the police for a welfare check on the two children, aged 3 and 6 months old. The CPS worker had been exchanging text messages with Hardy earlier that day, where she claimed they were “enjoying the day” elsewhere. The worker had warned Hardy that she needed to return home by 1 p.m., or else the police would be called due to concerns for the children’s welfare.

A police officer responded to the call and attempted to make contact by knocking on the door around 2 p.m. While the officer heard the sound of a child’s program running and faint laughter, there was no response from anyone inside the residence. It wasn’t until 2:30 p.m. that Hardy returned home and allowed the officer inside.

Upon entering the residence, the officer discovered one child in a crib and another still strapped in a soiled car seat in a bedroom. The car seat was reportedly soaked with sweat, and the diaper of the child had also been soiled. Disturbingly, the air conditioning was off, and the temperature inside the apartment had reached 82 degrees.

In addition to the child abuse charges, police also found a dog outside the home without access to food or water. The temperature outside was recorded as 92 degrees at the time.

Hardy claimed that she had left the home to go to the grocery store. However, her actions led to her arrest and subsequent appearance in court. During the hearing, Judge Rebecca Saxe ordered Hardy to be released on her own recognizance but placed specific conditions, including compliance with Child Protective Services and prohibiting unsupervised visits with children.

As of Thursday afternoon, Julia Hardy remained in custody at the Clark County Detention Center pending further legal proceedings.

Credits: 8 News Now

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