MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis woman already facing child abuse charges is accused of endangering the life of her new baby while trying to flee from police.
Police said Dominique Hawkins hid in a hot attic for nearly 30 minutes after U.S Marshals showed up at her townhouse Thursday. The temperature that day was in the upper 90s.
Neighbors at the Twin Oaks Townhomes near Fox Meadows said Hawkins crawled through the attic to try to get inside one of the townhouses near her. Police said when they finally got Hawkins to come out her infant son was hot to the touch and unresponsive.
They said the temperature in the attic was 110 degrees.
Paramedics with the fire department were able to cool down and revive the baby boy.
“I was just wondering why would she do that what was going on,” said Ladasha Nelson, who lives two doors away. She said she heard someone knocking from inside her attic about the time police showed up at her door.
“They asked me was somebody in my attic and she was knocking on my attic. I didn’t know until the police told me and I didn’t know she did all that to her baby,” said Nelson.
Hawkins was eventually taken into custody and the baby was left in the care of her maternal grandmother.
Hawkins was indicted for child abuse earlier this month for an incident involving another child last December.
She is now facing another charge of child abuse with an injury.
