Mississippi is well-known for its brutal heat and one man decided to use the weather to get back at his girlfriend. Brandon Windham, 31, of Columbus, Mississippi was spotted by witnesses rolling up the windows and locking the doors of a hot car with a disabled child inside.
According to weather reports for that day, the temperature was in the high 90s and the child, who is estimated to be between 6-10 years old, could not free herself from the vehicle. As Windham walked away from the car, people at the scene called 911 to report the incident. When police arrived, the little girl was trapped in the vehicle for 10-20 minutes before a special tool was used to unlock the doors.
Once freed, the child was transported by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle where she was checked for injuries and later released.
The incident occurred last Thursday and this week Windham was arrested and charged with felony child abuse. He appeared in Lowndes County Justice Court on Monday for an initial appearance and was denied bond. Court records revealed a hold from the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
District Attorney Scott Colom said his office would be “actively involved” in the investigation and stated to media, “My office takes these charges very seriously and will be actively involved in the investigation and potential prosecution of Mr. Windham.”
Windham isn’t related to the child and had a dispute with her mother earlier that day before he decided to punish her by harming her daughter. Hot car deaths of children have been well documented in the news every summer. One such case that received national attention was that of Justin Ross Harris, who left his infant son in the backseat of a car while he was at work. The child died and Harris was later found guilty of his murder.
